
Photo: (c) Jason Alexander, some rights reserved (CC BY) · CC BY 4.0 (May be cropped or resized)
Loxia curvirostra
Diet
Seeds from conifer cones and other fruits
The red crossbill is a small finch whose mandibles cross at the tips, which gives the group its English name. Using the crossed mandibles for leverage, crossbills efficiently separate the scales of conifer cones and extract the seeds on which they feed. Adult males tend to be red or orange and females green or yellow, though there is much variation, and juveniles are greyish-green and streaked. (Wikipedia, general species account)
There is wide variation in beak size and shape and in call types, leading to different classifications of variants, some named as subspecies. The species is called the red crossbill in North America and the common crossbill in Europe. Its distinctive bill lets it take seeds from conifer cones and other fruits. (Wikipedia, general species account)