Alberta · Year-round resident

Red Crossbills in Alberta

When red crossbills are present in Alberta, when they nest, which native Alberta plants feed them, and how to host them in a Canada 2a–4b yard.

Finches (Fringillidae)Red CrossbillLoxia curvirostra

Status in Alberta: Year-round resident
Nesting window: February–December
Broods: 1–2 per season
Hardiness zones: Canada 2a–4b

When to expect red crossbills in Alberta

Red Crossbills live in Alberta all year. Cold winters broken by chinook thaws in the south. That makes the cold months the time your yard matters most to them.

Continental — prairie in the southeast, aspen parkland in the center, boreal forest in the north and the Rockies in the west.

Nesting in Alberta

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

Warm, sunny summers with long days.

Red Crossbills don't use nest boxes. Keep dense native shrubs and trees such as rocky mountain juniper, douglas fir, balsam fir for nest sites.
Delay heavy pruning of shrubs until after December.

Native Alberta plants that attract red crossbills

Of the regional native plants we track for Alberta, these 6 provide food or cover red crossbills use:

Rocky Mountain juniper

Juniperus scopulorum · Tree

Berry-like cones feed bluebirds, solitaires and waxwings in winter.

Douglas fir

Pseudotsuga menziesii · Tree

Seed for crossbills, siskins and chickadees.

Balsam fir

Abies balsamea · Tree

Spruce-budworm habitat and dense winter roosting cover.

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 Alberta year

Top foods: Black-oil sunflower, Hulled sunflower.
In Alberta's winter: Cold winters broken by chinook thaws in the south.

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

Frequently asked

Are red crossbills in Alberta year-round?

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

When do red crossbills nest in Alberta?

Nesting in Alberta 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 Alberta?

Rocky Mountain juniper, Douglas fir, Balsam fir, White spruce, Black spruce, Tamarack are native plants in Alberta that provide food or cover for red crossbills.

Other backyard birds in Alberta

Black-capped Chickadee Purple Martin Downy Woodpecker Hairy Woodpecker American Goldfinch White-breasted Nuthatch House Wren Purple Finch Ruby-throated Hummingbird Mourning Dove American Robin Dark-eyed Junco White-throated Sparrow Song Sparrow Chipping Sparrow Northern Flicker Pileated Woodpecker Yellow-bellied Sapsucker Red-breasted Nuthatch Brown Creeper Common Grackle Red-winged Blackbird Baltimore Oriole Rose-breasted Grosbeak Evening Grosbeak Pine Siskin Common Redpoll Gray Catbird Brown Thrasher Cedar Waxwing Tree Swallow Barn Swallow Eastern Phoebe Yellow-rumped Warbler Great Crested Flycatcher Eastern Kingbird American Tree Sparrow House Sparrow European Starling Steller's Jay Black-billed Magpie Canada Jay Mountain Chickadee Rufous Hummingbird Spotted Towhee Mountain Bluebird Say's Phoebe White-crowned Sparrow Fox Sparrow Varied Thrush Violet-green Swallow Lazuli Bunting Bullock's Oriole Eurasian Collared-Dove American Crow Common Raven Cooper's Hawk Sharp-shinned Hawk Red-tailed Hawk Great Horned Owl American Kestrel Mallard Great Blue Heron Belted Kingfisher Brown-headed Cowbird Ruby-crowned Kinglet Golden-crowned Kinglet Hermit Thrush Winter Wren Pine Grosbeak Gray Catbird Western Tanager Clark's Nutcracker Western Screech-Owl Yellow Warbler Common Yellowthroat American Redstart Black-and-white Warbler Ovenbird Yellow-breasted Chat Orange-crowned Warbler Palm Warbler Red-eyed Vireo Warbling Vireo Least Flycatcher Western Kingbird Cliff Swallow Northern Rough-winged Swallow Bank Swallow Common Nighthawk Canada Goose American Coot Killdeer Spotted Sandpiper Black-crowned Night Heron Turkey Vulture Osprey Bald Eagle Merlin Peregrine Falcon Northern Saw-whet Owl Burrowing Owl Lewis's Woodpecker 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 Bobolink Yellow-headed Blackbird Brewer's Blackbird 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.