? Crossbills
Red (Common) Crossbill
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia Phylum: Chordata Class: Aves Order: Passeriformes Family: Fringillidae Genus: Loxia Linnaeus, 1758
Species
Loxia pytyopsittacus Loxia scotia Loxia curvirostra Loxia leucoptera Loxia megaplaga Download high resolution version (750x714, 81 KB) Wikipedia does not have an article with this exact name. ... Jump to: navigation, search Scientific classification or biological classification is how biologists group and categorize extinct and living species of organisms. ... Jump to: navigation, search Phyla Porifera (sponges) Ctenophora (comb jellies) Cnidaria Placozoa Subregnum Bilateria  Acoelomorpha  Orthonectida  Rhombozoa  Myxozoa  Superphylum Deuterostomia     Chordata (vertebrates, etc. ... Jump to: navigation, search Typical Classes Subphylum Urochordata - Tunicatas Ascidiacea Thaliacea Larvacea Subphylum Cephalochordata - Lancelets Subphylum Myxini - Hagfishes Subphylum Vertebrata - Vertebrates Petromyzontida - Lampreys Placodermi (extinct) Chondrichthyes - Cartilaginous fishes Acanthodii (extinct) Actinopterygii - Ray-finned fishes Actinistia - Coelacanths Dipnoi - Lungfishes Amphibia - Amphibians Reptilia - Reptiles Aves - Birds Mammalia - Mammals Chordates (phylum Chordata) include... Jump to: navigation, search Orders Many - see section below. ... Families Many, see text A passerine is a bird of the giant order Passeriformes. ... Genera Many, see text Finches are seed-eating passerine birds, the many species of which are found chiefly in the northern hemisphere, but also to a limited extent in Africa and South America. ... Jump to: navigation, search Carolus Linnaeus Carl Linnaeus, also known after his ennoblement as Carl von Linné â–¶(?), and in English usually under the Latinized name Carolus Linnaeus (May 23, 1707 – January 10, 1778), was a Swedish botanist who laid the foundations for the modern scheme of taxonomy. ...

The crossbills are birds in the finch family Fringillidae. The one to five (or possibly many more) species are all in the genus Loxia. These birds are characterised by the mandibles crossing at their tips, which gives the group its English name. Jump to: navigation, search Genera Many, see text Finches are seed-eating passerine birds, the many species of which are found chiefly in the northern hemisphere, but also to a limited extent in Africa and South America. ... The English language is a West Germanic language that originates in England. ...

These are specialist feeders on conifer cones, and the unusual bill shape is an adaptation to assist the extraction of the seeds from the cone. These are birds typically found in higher northern hemisphere latitudes, where their food sources grows. They will erupt out of the breeding range when the cone crop fails. Orders & Families Cordaitales † Pinales   Pinaceae - Pine family   Araucariaceae - Araucaria family   Podocarpaceae - Yellow-wood family   Sciadopityaceae - Umbrella-pine family   Cupressaceae - Cypress family   Cephalotaxaceae - Plum-yew family   Taxaceae - Yew family Vojnovskyales † Voltziales † The conifers, division Pinophyta, are one of 13 or 14 division level taxa within the Kingdom Plantae. ...

The different species are each adapted to specialising in feeding on different conifer species, with the bill shape optimised for opening that species of conifer. They can utilise other conifers to their preferred, and often need to do so when their preferred species has a crop failure, but are less efficient in their feeding (not enough to prevent survival, but probably enough to reduce breeding success).

Crossbills breed very early in the year, often in winter months, to take advantage of maximum cone supplies.

Adult males tend to be red or orange in colour, and females green or yellow, but there is much variation.

These species are difficult to separate, and care is needed even with Two-barred Crossbill, the easiest. The other three species are identified by subtle differences in head shape and bill size, and are the subject of much taxonomic speculation, with some scientists suggesting that two or all three are conspecific.

The identification problem is least severe in North America, where only Red and White-winged occur, and (possibly) worst in the Scottish Highlands, where three 'species' breed, and Two-barred is also a possible vagrant. Jump to: navigation, search World map showing North America (geographically) A satellite composite image of North America North America is a continent in the northern hemisphere, bordered on the north by the Arctic Ocean, on the east by the North Atlantic Ocean, on the south by the Caribbean Sea, and... Timeline of Scottish history Caledonia List of not fully sovereign nations Subdivisions of Scotland National parks (Scotland) Traditional music of Scotland Flower of Scotland Wars of Scottish Independence National Trust for Scotland Historic houses in Scotland Castles in Scotland Museums in Scotland Abbeys and priories in Scotland Gardens in Scotland...

Work on vocalisation in North America suggest that there are eight or nine discrete populations of Red Crossbill in that continent alone, which do not interbreed and are (like the named species) adapted to specialise on different conifer species. Few ornithologists yet seem inclined to give these forms species status though. Preliminary investigations in Europe and Asia suggest an equal, if not greater, complexity, with several different call types identified; these call types as different from each other as from the named species Scottish and Parrot Crossbills - suggesting either that they are valid species, or else that the Scottish and Parrot may not be. World map showing Europe (geographically) When considered a continent, Europe is the worlds second-smallest continent in terms of area, with an area of 10,600,000 km² (4,140,625 square miles), making it larger than Australia only. ... Jump to: navigation, search World map showing Asia (geographically) Asia is the central and eastern part of Eurasia and worlds largest continent. ...

Genetic research on their DNA has so far failed to reveal any difference between any of the crossbills (including the morphologically distinct Two-barred), with variation between individuals greater than any difference between the taxa. One suggestion is that limited interbreeding between the different types prevents significant genetic differentiation, and also enables each type to maintain a degree of morphological plasticity, which may be necessary to enable them to feed on different conifers when their preferred food species has a crop failure. Jump to: navigation, search Space-filling model of a section of DNA molecule Deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) is a nucleic acid that contains the genetic instructions specifying the biological development of all cellular forms of life (and many viruses). ...

Species and their preferred food sources are:

• Parrot Crossbill, Loxia pytyopsittacus
  • Scots pine Pinus sylvestris
• Scottish Crossbill, Loxia scotica (often treated as a race of Parrot Crossbill)
  • Scots pine Pinus sylvestris and Larch Larix species (particularly plantations of L. decidua)
• Red Crossbill or Common Crossbill, Loxia curvirostra
  • Spruce Picea species; some populations (distinct species?) on various Pine Pinus species and (in western North America) Douglas-fir
• Two-barred Crossbill or White-winged Crossbill, Loxia leucoptera
  • Larch Larix species, particularly L. sibirica, L. gmelinii, L. laricina and (in North America) also Hemlock Tsuga
• Hispaniolan Crossbill, Loxia megaplaga (previously treated as a race of Two-barred Crossbill)
  • Hispaniolan pine Pinus occidentalis

Binomial name Loxia pytyopsittacus Borkhausen,, 1793 The Parrot Crossbill (Loxia pytyopsittacus) is a small passerine bird in the finch family Fringillidae. ... Binomial name Pinus sylvestris L. The Scots Pine (Pinus sylvestris; family Pinaceae) is a common tree ranging from Great Britain and Spain east to eastern Siberia and the Caucasus Mountains, and as far north as Lapland. ... Binomial name Loxia scotica Hartert,, 1904 The Scottish Crossbill (Loxia scotica) is a small passerine bird in the finch family Fringillidae. ... Binomial name Pinus sylvestris L. The Scots Pine (Pinus sylvestris; family Pinaceae) is a common tree ranging from Great Britain and Spain east to eastern Siberia and the Caucasus Mountains, and as far north as Lapland. ... Species About 12; see text Larches are conifers in the genus Larix, in the family Pinaceae. ... Binomial name Loxia curvirostra Linnaeus,, 1758 The Common Crossbill (Loxia curvirostra) is a small passerine bird in the finch family Fringillidae. ... Species About 35; see text. ... Jump to: navigation, search Species About 115. ... Species See text. ... Binomial name Loxia leucoptera (Gmelin,, 1789) The Two-barred Crossbill (Loxia leucoptera), known as the White-winged Crossbill in North America, is a small passerine bird in the finch family Fringillidae. ... Species About 12; see text Larches are conifers in the genus Larix, in the family Pinaceae. ... Species Eastern Hemlock Carolina Hemlock Taiwan Hemlock Northern Japanese Hemlock Himalayan Hemlock Forrests Hemlock Western Hemlock Mountain Hemlock Southern Japanese Hemlock Tsuga is a genus of conifers in the family Pinaceae. ...

External Links

American Crossbill