The Red crossbill is aptly named for its unusual bill configuration of crossed upper and lower tips of the mandibles which it uses to pry seeds primarily from native conifer cones. Degree of bill crossing is variable depending on wear, and it can have a right or left cross. Adaption to varied conifer cone structures and sizes has resulted in a diversity in body size, bill size and shape, and palate configurations in Red crossbills.

Juveniles are brown with heavy streaked undersides and faint buff wing bars. Mature males are red with dark brown flight feathers and tail; first-year males are yellow to orange, all lacking wing-bars. Females are overall brown. The Red crossbill is almost always found in mature seed-bearing forests in flocks ranging from a few to several hundred individuals.

The Red crossbill is a nomadic and uncommon to common breeder in coastal and montane coniferous forest across Oregon, but it is irregularly detected wherever coniferous stands occur. It is a resident in the moist forests from the Cascade Crest westward and from the east slope of the Cascades east to Warner and Blue mountains, wandering occasionally to western Oregon.

Hear the song of the Red crossbill

Photo by Keith Kohl, ODFW