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The Common Crossbill (Loxia curvirostra) is a small passerine bird in the finch family Fringillidae. It breeds in the spruce forests of North America, where it is known as Red Crossbill, Europe and Asia; some populations (different species?) breed in pineThis article deals with the tree; for the e-mail client see Pine email client About 115. Pines are coniferous trees of the genus Pinus in the family Pinaceae. There are about 115 species of pine, although different authors accept anything from 105 to 125 forests in certain areas of all three continents, and in North America, also in douglas-firDouglas-fir is the common name applied to coniferous trees of the genus Pseudotsuga in the family Pinaceae. There are five species, two in western North America, one in Mexico and two in eastern Asia. The douglas-firs gave 19th century botanists problems. It nests in conifers, laying 3-5 eggs.

This crossbillCrossbills Red (Common) Crossbill : Animalia : Chordata : Aves : Passeriformes Fringillidae Loxia Species Loxia pytyopsittacus ''Loxia scotia ''Loxia curvirostra ''Loxia leucoptera ''Loxia megaplaga The crossbills are birds in the finch family Fringillida is mainly resident, but will regularly eruptsLong-distance land bird migration Many species of land birds migrate very long distances, the most common pattern being for birds to breed in the temperate or arctic northern hemisphere and winter in warmer regions, often in the tropics or the southern he south if its food source fails. This species will form flocks outside the breeding season, often mixed with other crossbills.

The crossbills are characterised by the mandibles crossing at their tips, which gives the group its EnglishThe English language is a West Germanic language, originating from England. It is the third most common "first" language (native speakers), with around 402 million people in 2002. English has lingua franca status in many parts of the world, due to the mil name. They are specialist feeders on conifer cones, particularly the various spruce species but also some populations (different species?) in douglas-fir and various pine species, and the unusual bill shape is an adaptation to assist the extraction of the seeds from the cone.

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

This species is difficult to separate from Parrot Crossbill and Scottish Crossbill, both of which breed within its Eurasian range. The identification problem is less severe in North America, where only Red Crossbill and White-winged Crossbill occur.

Work on vocalisation in North America suggest that, in that continent alone, there are eight or nine populations of Red Crossbill with different calls, which rarely if ever interbreed. These forms also vary in terms of bill size and structure, and specialise on the seed cones of different species of conifer. Few ornithologists seem inclined to give these forms species status at present.

Some large-billed, pine-feeding populations currently assigned to this species in the Mediterranean area may possibly be better referred to either Parrot Crossbill or alternatively to new species in their own right, but as yet, research into them is still at a very early stage. These include Balearic Crossbill L. curvirostra balearica and North African Crossbill L. curvirostra poliogyna, feeding primarily on Aleppo pine (Pinus halepensis); Cyprus Crossbill L. curvirostra guillemardi, feeding primarily on European black pine (Pinus nigra); and an as-yet unidentified crossbill with a Parrot Crossbill-size bill feeding primarily on Bosnian pine (Pinus heldreichii) in the Balkans. These populations also differ on plumage, with the Balearic, North African and Cyprus races having yellower males, and the Balkan type having deep purple-pink males; this however merely reflects the differing anthocyanin content of the cones they feed on, as these pigments are transferred to the feathers.