90 
Vol. XII 
NOTES ON THE NORTHWESTERN CROSSBILL 
By J. W. PRESTON 
WITH TWO PHOTOS 
F OR ten years past I have occasionally gone into regions inhabited by this in- 
teresting bird, whose movements are erratic in the extreme. Reports of 
their nesting have consequently been misleading. I had been taught that 
one should expect sets of their eggs iin February, and it required almost the ten 
years to learn that such is not always the case, if ever in this region, Spokane, 
Washington. 
From a bird which sports crost mandibles and chews its food we might ex- 
pect some eccentricities, and the subject of this sketch certainly possesses them! 
A careful study of a large number of the birds as well as of their general habits, 
nests and eggs, would seem to prove the propriety of separating this form. If 
there is wisdom in the separation of a multitude of recognized forms, this one 
should by no means be an exception. In this northwestern region the male 
Crossbill is indeed a “red bird” and handsome as is his modest mate. 
From late Autumn until the next June they appear in large flocks, coming 
down from their northern breeding range at the appearance of snow, and remain- 
ing in certain localities where pine nuts are plentiful, as that is their principal food 
supply. All winter long they may be seen moving about over the forests from 
place to place, frequently settling onto a large cone-covered pine to feed. I have 
seen large trees literally covered with them, and it was a lively sight, what with 
the rattling of the dry scales of the cones as they bit out the nut, the continual 
“peet-peet-peet” and the flying from cone to cone. Then all at once, at a quick 
call, every bird would fly away and the flock had gone. 
The song is a series of clear, loud, sparrow-like notes, and pretty whistling 
effects which come riffling down from some pinnacle of a great tall pine tree. An 
occasional note resembles a quick, clear passage in the song of the rock wren — a 
rich, clear, single whistle-note. Another resembles a rich portion of the Baltimore 
Oriole’s song. But the common note of the Crossbill is an energetic, strong, 
metallic “peet-peet” which is uttered on all occasions, and one seldom sees a 
Crossbill without also hearing this note. A male bird will gather a flock about 
him by means of this call. Another effort is like the twittering of the Goldfinch. 
Most of their movements are accompanied by the “zeet-zeet-zeet” in a sort of 
whizzing tone, or “chink-cliink-chink,” “peet-peet-peet” or “pit-pit-pit”, metal- 
lically. But the real singing is from the tree-tops and it is a happy, cheerful song. 
At times the male will float about overhead, singing, much as the Horned Lark does. 
The latter part of June they separate into small colonies, and resort to remote 
mountain regions, at an altitude of from two thousand to four thousand feet, 
where, in a social way they rear their young. The food consists largely of pine 
nuts and fir seed. At nesting time fir seed is green and soft and these birds will 
feed by the hour in the top of a tree, cutting off a cone and holding it in the claws 
while dexterously extracting the seeds which they seemingly chew. On this nu- 
tritious substance the young birds are fed. No wonder they are strong and ener- 
getic. These birds are literally reared in the tree tops, and rocked by the rough 
winds that surge down over the hills from the mountain sides, While the Cross- 
bill loves the lonely retreats he is by no means a wild bird, and I have seen them 
percht on dwelling houses and about stables. When the pine nuts have fallen. 
