Alaska · Year-round resident

Red Crossbills in Alaska

When red crossbills are present in Alaska, when they nest, which native Alaska plants feed them, and how to host them in a USDA 1a–8a yard.

Finches (Fringillidae)Red CrossbillLoxia curvirostra

Status in Alaska: Year-round resident
Nesting window: February–December
Broods: 1–2 per season
Hardiness zones: USDA 1a–8a

When to expect red crossbills in Alaska

Red Crossbills live in Alaska all year. Interior winters reach −40°F with under four hours of daylight; resident chickadees and redpolls depend on high-fat food. That makes the cold months the time your yard matters most to them.

Subarctic interior, temperate rainforest in the Southeast panhandle, and Arctic tundra on the North Slope.

Nesting in Alaska

Across Alaska, red crossbills typically nest from February–December. Plan around that window: January for setup, December for clean-out.

A short, explosive summer with near-continuous daylight compresses nesting into a few weeks.

Red Crossbills don't use nest boxes. Keep dense native shrubs and trees such as white spruce, black spruce, tamarack for nest sites.
Delay heavy pruning of shrubs until after December.

Native Alaska plants that attract red crossbills

Of the regional native plants we track for Alaska, these 3 provide food or cover red crossbills use:

White spruce

Picea glauca · Tree

Cone crops drive winter irruptions of finches and crossbills.

Black spruce

Picea mariana · Tree

Persistent cones in boreal bogs.

Tamarack

Larix laricina · Tree

Deciduous conifer with small cones for siskins and redpolls.

Feeding red crossbills through the Alaska year

Top foods: Black-oil sunflower, Hulled sunflower.
In Alaska's winter: Interior winters reach −40°F with under four hours of daylight; resident chickadees and redpolls depend on high-fat food.

Full diet breakdown for red crossbills · Best feeder for red crossbills

Frequently asked

Are red crossbills in Alaska year-round?

Yes. Red Crossbills are year-round residents in Alaska.

When do red crossbills nest in Alaska?

Nesting in Alaska typically runs February–December, with 1–2 per season. Clutches are 2–5 eggs, incubated for 12–16 days.

What native plants attract red crossbills in Alaska?

White spruce, Black spruce, Tamarack are native plants in Alaska that provide food or cover for red crossbills.

Other backyard birds in Alaska

Black-capped Chickadee Downy Woodpecker Hairy Woodpecker American Robin Dark-eyed Junco Song Sparrow Chipping Sparrow Northern Flicker Yellow-bellied Sapsucker Red-breasted Nuthatch Red-winged Blackbird Pine Siskin Common Redpoll Cedar Waxwing Tree Swallow Barn Swallow Yellow-rumped Warbler American Tree Sparrow Steller's Jay Black-billed Magpie Canada Jay Chestnut-backed Chickadee Rufous Hummingbird Mountain Bluebird Say's Phoebe White-crowned Sparrow Golden-crowned Sparrow Fox Sparrow Varied Thrush Violet-green Swallow Common Raven Sharp-shinned Hawk Great Horned Owl American Kestrel Mallard Belted Kingfisher Ruby-crowned Kinglet Golden-crowned Kinglet Hermit Thrush Winter Wren Pine Grosbeak Yellow Warbler Common Yellowthroat American Redstart Orange-crowned Warbler Palm Warbler Warbling Vireo Least Flycatcher Cliff Swallow Bank Swallow Common Nighthawk Canada Goose Killdeer Spotted Sandpiper Osprey Bald Eagle Merlin Peregrine Falcon Northern Saw-whet Owl Black-backed Woodpecker American Three-toed Woodpecker Savannah Sparrow Swamp Sparrow Vesper Sparrow Snow Bunting Lapland Longspur Horned Lark Common Redpoll Hoary Redpoll White-winged Crossbill Gray-crowned Rosy-Finch Bohemian Waxwing Rusty Blackbird Rock Pigeon

Sources

Timing reflects typical patterns for the region as a whole; local dates vary with elevation and year. Check the linked eBird bar charts for your county.