White-winged Crossbill

LC - Least Concern

N5 - Secure

SNRB, SNRN - Unranked Breeding and Nonbreeding

not listed

White-winged Crossbill is a colorful, medium-sized finch. It occurs in the temperate and subpolar regions of the Northern Hemisphere. In Minnesota it is common to uncommon in the northeastern coniferous and mixed forests, occasional to rare in the remainder of the state. Migration is irruptive, with large numbers visiting the state one year and none the following year. It is found mostly in coniferous forests with spruce, tamarack, and eastern hemlock, sometimes in deciduous forests, and sometimes in towns. Adults feed mostly on spruce and tamarack seeds, but also on the seeds of other coniferous trees and deciduous trees, and occasionally on insects.

Adults are 5⅞″ to 16¾″ (15 to 17 mm) in length and have a 10¼″ to 11″ (26 to 28 mm) wingspan. They have a stocky body, a large head, and a crossed bill.

The breeding male has a pinkish-red head, neck, chest, and back. The underparts are pinkish-red, fading to white in the rear, with brown streaks. The tips of the bill are crossed over, an adaptation that helps when extracting seeds from a spruce seed cone. This is the feature that gives the genus its common name. The wings and tail are black. There are two bold white wing bars on each wing. This is the feature that gives both the American and the European subspecies their common names. The innermost flight feathers (tertials) have white tips.

Females are greenish-yellow streaked with brown overall. Juveniles in their first plumage are heavily streaked overall. Subadult males are patchy red and yellow and are streaked overall. Immatures (juveniles and subadults) have bold white wing bars.

Length: 5⅞″ to 16¾″ (15 to 17 mm)

Wingspan: 10¼″ to 11″ (26 to 28 mm)

Red Crossbill (Loxia curvirostra) is deeper red. There are no white wing bars.

Coniferous forests with spruce, tamarack, and eastern hemlock, sometimes deciduous forests, and sometimes towns.

Irruptive, large numbers in some years, none in other years.

White-winged Crossbills rarely nest in Minnesota.

Mostly spruce and tamarack seeds, but also the seeds of other coniferous trees and deciduous trees, and occasionally insects.

Common to uncommon in the northeastern coniferous and mixed forests, occasional to rare in the remainder of the state.

The Minnesota Ornithologists’ Union All Seasons Species Occurrence Map

Male & Female White-winged Crossbills...

Been in the area for a couple days and my guess is they will soon move on. Nice to see a bird that is often not seen in my area otherwise. I had never seen one in real life until these past couple days. I always thought by some photos I seen they were larger but they are smaller than what I thought. Remind me a little of Pine Grosbeaks but smaller etc. and different beak.

Neat little birds. They were feeding on spruce tree cones.

White-winged Crossbill...

I still have them feeding on spruce tree cone seeds and getting nice imagery. This morning one came right underfoot and I had to point the camera directly down to film it. I also panned a little to show part of my foot. Neat little bird and memorable experience I gotten so close to them. Seems to be just 3 of them a red or mature male, a female and a juvenile male since it looks like it has a slight wash of red in areas. Glad I have those large spruce trees and they stop over to feed as they pass through. Only other bird that came under my feet and tripod was the American Redstart.…

I filmed this male in 4k 5-10-22 in one of my spruce trees. He was stretching his wings and tail.

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Location: Norman County, Mn.

I still have them feeding on spruce tree cone seeds and getting nice imagery. This morning one came right underfoot and I had to point the camera directly down to film it. I also panned a little to show part of my foot. Neat little bird and memorable experience I gotten so close to them. Seems to be just 3 of them a red or mature male, a female and a juvenile male since it looks like it has a slight wash of red in areas. Glad I have those large spruce trees and they stop over to feed as they pass through. Only other bird that came under my feet and tripod was the American Redstart.…

I filmed this male in 4k 5-10-22 in one of my spruce trees. He was stretching his wings and tail.