Newfoundland Crossbill
Encyclopedia
The Newfoundland Red Crossbill is a member of the common crossbill
genus
which has its crossed bill adapted for prying open the tightly closed spruce
or pine
cones in order to extract the seeds found abundantly on the island of Newfoundland.
It is known locally as the Spruce Mope. About 5.5 to 6.5 inches in length, wing about 3.75 inches and its bill .70 inches. The adult male is a dull red which is somewhat brighter on the rump, with wings and tail black in color. The adult female is an olive-gray with yellow on the rump and often on the under parts, the wings and tail a dark grayish. Juveniles vary in color from olive-green to yellow to reddish.
They nest in conifers building their nest from twigs or strips of bark and lining it with mosses, hair or fur. They lay 4 to 5 eggs which are greenish-blue, spotted with brown and lavender.
The local name refers to their slow movements while feeding in the spruce tops. They can be seen in mixed company with the slightly larger White-winged Crossbill.
Common Crossbill
The Common Crossbill 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, as well as Europe and Asia; some populations breed in pine forests in certain areas of all three continents, and in North...
genus
Genus
In biology, a genus is a low-level taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms, which is an example of definition by genus and differentia...
which has its crossed bill adapted for prying open the tightly closed spruce
Spruce
A spruce is a tree of the genus Picea , a genus of about 35 species of coniferous evergreen trees in the Family Pinaceae, found in the northern temperate and boreal regions of the earth. Spruces are large trees, from tall when mature, and can be distinguished by their whorled branches and conical...
or pine
Pine
Pines are trees in the genus Pinus ,in the family Pinaceae. They make up the monotypic subfamily Pinoideae. There are about 115 species of pine, although different authorities accept between 105 and 125 species.-Etymology:...
cones in order to extract the seeds found abundantly on the island of Newfoundland.
It is known locally as the Spruce Mope. About 5.5 to 6.5 inches in length, wing about 3.75 inches and its bill .70 inches. The adult male is a dull red which is somewhat brighter on the rump, with wings and tail black in color. The adult female is an olive-gray with yellow on the rump and often on the under parts, the wings and tail a dark grayish. Juveniles vary in color from olive-green to yellow to reddish.
They nest in conifers building their nest from twigs or strips of bark and lining it with mosses, hair or fur. They lay 4 to 5 eggs which are greenish-blue, spotted with brown and lavender.
The local name refers to their slow movements while feeding in the spruce tops. They can be seen in mixed company with the slightly larger White-winged Crossbill.