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White-winged Crossbill

Status Irregular, fairly common resident. Breeds. It has two distinct breeding seasons: early January to late April and early July to late September. Although it occurs most often during those months, wandering flocks may be seen at any time of year. It shows a strong preference for coniferous forests but is occasionally seen elsewhere. James C. Morrow saw a flock of 10-12 White-winged Crossbills feeding on tiny caterpillars on an infested oak in Halifax on 3 June 1951. From 1955 on, flocks of 20-150 birds were commonly seen. One very large invasion occurred on 23 February 1963, when Charles R.K. Allen and Lloyd B. Macpherson came upon "many thousands" of White-winged Crossbills eating white spruce seeds and later recounted that "the sound of the scales dropping all around was like a heavy rain." Such a flock has not occurred here since, but the species is still present and widely scattered over the province; flocks of 10-50 birds have been found during all seasons but most often in the winter months.

Description Length: 15-17 cm. All plumages: Mandibles crossed at tips. Adult male: Wings and tail black, the wings boldly marked with two white bars; rest of plumage rose-red, brighter on rump. Adult female: Gray suffused with olive-green, brighter on crown and rump; wings and tail dark gray, the wings boldly marked with two white bars; underparts less greenish, and lightly striped with dark gray.

Breeding Nest: Winter nests are similar to those built by Red Crossbills and better constructed than summer nests, which consist of a few insecurely placed conifer twigs, with a liberal quantity of beard lichen on top. The moss is roughly moulded into the shape of a nest, and remains in that form until the young are hatched; but after they are about a week old, it becomes depressed and finally is completely flattened. Two nest sites were quite different from those selected by Red Crossbills: a small slender spruce growing in open woodland pasture near heavy coniferous woods; and the top of a small spruce about 5 m high, growing in a thicket of its own kind so dense that only the topmost branchlets were green.

Eggs: 3-4; practically indistinguishable from those of the Red Crossbill. The first of the two fairly well defined breeding seasons, which begins in midwinter and continues throughout April, is, I believe, far less regular in Nova Scotia than the second, which begins in late July and continues well into September. However, I have no evidence either to suggest a particular pair nests more than once a year or that it does not. The following are typical nesting dates. Winter nesting: 8 February 1906, three slightly incubated eggs; 26 February 1906, four eggs in similar condition; 1 April 1906, three fresh eggs; 26 April 1906, four fresh eggs; all in Kings County. On 19 April 1925 four eggs about one-half incubated were located at Seal Island. Summer nesting: A female collected at Seabright, Halifax County, on 12 July 1916 was soon to lay eggs (L.R. Bishop). On 25 August 1931 a nest at Albany, Annapolis County, contained four young, which flew on 8 September. In the same locality on 30 August 1938, a male was seen feeding three young that were barely able to fly. A singing male collected in Inverness County on 17 July 1940 had the greatly enlarged testes of a bird that was breeding or about to breed. At Bear River, Annapolis County, Lloyd Duncanson collected a breeding pair on 19 July 1950. At Albany three young flew from a nest when the tree was shaken on 30 August 1950, and at the same place on the following day a male was seen feeding a young bird well able to fly. All nests were in coniferous forests remote from habitation.

Range Breeds in both the Old and New Worlds. Breeds in North America north to the limit of trees and south to Nova Scotia, northern New York State, the Prairie Provinces and southern British Columbia. Wanders irregularly further south in winter.

Remarks Unlike its red cousin, this bird does not seem to relish elm seeds but appears to be more a forest species and is seldom seen on other than cone-bearing trees.

The White-winged Crossbill's song is rich and full and closely resembles that of the American Goldfinch. At times the male is seen pouring forth a torrent of melody while circling overhead on slowly flapping wings, a sure sign that nesting is in progress or about to begin.

While busily tearing apart seed cones, a task for which their peculiar bills are perfectly adapted, these birds usually betray their presence with a monotonous half-musical chattering. However, sometimes they work in absolute silence like a flock of miniature parrots.

The White-winged Crossbill is similar in colour to the Pine Grosbeak, which also has white wing-bars, but the grosbeak is robin-size and the crossbill is more nearly sparrow-size.