CROSSBILL 
like those of the Greenfinch, being greenish-white, 
spotted and dashed with reddish-brown, but are 
distinctly larger in size. The bird itself is a little 
larger than a Greenfinch, and is conspicuous both 
from the unusual appearance of its bill, and the 
warm colours and great variability of its plumage. 
The head and body in the cock are various shades 
of crimson, or bright red-brown ; in the hen these 
parts are some shade of yellowish-green ; and in 
both sexes the wings and tail are clearly contrasted 
with the rest of the plumage, being dark brown. 
The hen-birds, especially the younger ones, are a 
good deal streaked with a brown on the under- 
side ; and the young birds are a good deal duller 
and more greyish-brown in colour than the adult 
cocks and hens, so that a small flock of Crossbills 
may contain birds of a great variety of appearance. 
They often betray their presence in the branches 
of the firs by a loud and noticeable chattering. 
The so-called Parrot Crossbill is not a separate 
species, but only a larger and more stout-billed 
race which has its headquarters in Norway, Sweden 
and Northern Russia. It is sometimes seen in this 
country during the winter. 
