■WHITE-WINGED CROSSBILL 



179 



It also utters, especially when flying in flocks, a rattling 

 note; like the syllables tshu, tshu, tshu. 



A flock is generally composed of birds in many stages of 

 plumage ; some show no red, others have only a small dark 

 red cap, still others have a suffusion of rose over the breast 

 as well. They may be distinguished from the Pine Siskins, 

 ■with which they are often associated, by their grayer tone, 

 by the smaller amount of streaking on the under parts, 

 and by the blackish throat. 



White-^winged Ckossbill. Loxia leucoptera 

 6.05 



Ad. $. — Head, rump, and under parts rose-red; middle of 

 back black, streaked with rose ; wings and tail black ; two broad 

 bars on the wing white j- tips of the mandibles crossed. Ad. ^ and 

 Im. — The red of the $ replaced by gray, tinged with olive-yel- 

 low, and streaked with black; rump yellow; wings and tail almost 

 black; wing-bars as in male. Im. $. — Often shows stages be- 

 tween the plumages of the ad. $ and $ . 



Nest, in coniferous trees. Eggs, pale greenish, dotted about 

 the larger end with brown. 



The White-winged Crossbill is a very irregular winter 

 visitant in southern New York and New England, often ab- 

 sent for a period -*s~5:»-^ 



of many years. 

 In northern New 

 England and in 

 the Adirondacks, 

 it breeds spar- 

 ingly, and is a not 

 infrequent win- 

 ter visitant in the 

 valleys. Its call- 

 note is a sweet 

 monosyllable, re- 

 sembling the syl- 



Ftg. 54. White-winged Crossbill 



