Two-barred Crossbill

Loxia leucoptera Gmelin, JF, 1789

14–17 cmLength29 gWeight

It has crossed upper and lower mandibles and 2 conspicuous white bars on the wings.

Busiest months: August and November · Most records: Canada, United States, China

Least Concern

How to identify

Field marks

Upper and lower mandibles crossed
2 conspicuous white bars on the wings
Forked tail and short legs and feet
Tertials have white tips

Male, female and young

Male of the nominate subspecies has a bright raspberry-red head and back; the corresponding areas on the female are greenish-yellow.

Voice

The “chip” call is softer and higher-pitched than that of Red Crossbill.

Where and when it's recorded

Busiest months: August and November · Most records: Canada, United States, China

Two-barred Crossbill has been recorded at 383 of the 8,276 birding hotspots we track, in 17 countries and regions.

Records by month Northern Hemisphere

Where it's recorded most

Teslin Lake – Teslin Lake Bird ObservatoryCanada1,622 records
Longridge PointCanada1,506 records
Dunes de TadoussacCanada1,380 records

More places

Algonquin Provincial Park – Visitor CentreCanada1,278 records
TadoussacCanada1,018 records
Whitefish PointUnited States982 records
RNF du Cap-TourmenteCanada954 records
Salisbury Beach State ReservationUnited States922 records
Little Piskwamish PointCanada897 records
La PocatièreCanada837 records

Countries and regions with the most records

Canada United States China Finland United Kingdom Sweden Norway St. Pierre & Miquelon

eBird records via GBIF up to 2024-12-31. A record means someone listed it; more records partly mean more birders, not more birds.

About

The two-barred crossbill or white-winged crossbill (Loxia leucoptera) is a small passerine bird in the finch family Fringillidae. It breeds in the coniferous forests of North America and the Palearctic.

Excerpt from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0 · authors · Read more on Wikipedia

Questions

How big is the Two-barred Crossbill?

The Two-barred Crossbill is about 14–17 cm long and weighs around 29 g.

Where does the Two-barred Crossbill live?

Its breeding range: Palearctic, North America: subarctic to northern temperate Holarctic conifer forest: eastern Scandinavia through Russia to Sea of Okhotsk, south through south-central Russia, northeastern Mongolia and probably Heilongjiang (far northeastern China); Alaska and Canada (except northern), Rocky Mountains and northern tier of contiguous US states. It is most often recorded in Canada, United States and China.

When is the best time to see the Two-barred Crossbill?

At the hotspots we track, it is recorded most in August and November (Northern Hemisphere).

Is the Two-barred Crossbill endangered?

The IUCN Red List classifies the Two-barred Crossbill as Least Concern.

What does the Two-barred Crossbill eat?

Main food: Omnivore.

What family is the Two-barred Crossbill in?

It belongs to the family Finches, Euphonias (Fringillidae), order Passerines (Passeriformes).

At a glance

Length: 14–17 cm
Weight: 29 g
Habitat: Forest
Diet: Omnivore
Lifestyle: Perches in trees
Migration: Migratory
Conservation: Least Concern

More measurements

Wing: 89 mm
Tail: 59 mm
Bill: 19 mm
Tarsus: 16 mm

Averages from the AVONET dataset; length from field guides where available.

Range

Palearctic, North America: subarctic to northern temperate Holarctic conifer forest: eastern Scandinavia through Russia to Sea of Okhotsk, south through south-central Russia, northeastern Mongolia and probably Heilongjiang (far northeastern China); Alaska and Canada (except northern), Rocky Mountains and northern tier of contiguous US states

Breeding range, IOC World Bird List 15.2

Subspecies · 1