Nevada · Year-round resident

Red Crossbills in Nevada

When red crossbills are present in Nevada, when they nest, which native Nevada plants feed them, and how to host them in a USDA 4a–10a yard.

Finches (Fringillidae)Red CrossbillLoxia curvirostra

Status in Nevada: Year-round resident
Nesting window: January–December
Broods: 1–2 per season
Hardiness zones: USDA 4a–10a

When to expect red crossbills in Nevada

Red Crossbills live in Nevada all year. Cold, dry winters in Reno and the north; mild winters in the south. That makes the cold months the time your yard matters most to them.

Great Basin cold desert in the north and Mojave hot desert around Las Vegas.

Nesting in Nevada

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

Very hot, dry summers; water is the top attractant.

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

Native Nevada plants that attract red crossbills

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

Rocky Mountain juniper

Juniperus scopulorum · Tree

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

Ponderosa pine

Pinus ponderosa · Tree

Seeds and bark insects; pygmy nuthatch and woodpecker habitat.

Douglas fir

Pseudotsuga menziesii · Tree

Seed for crossbills, siskins and chickadees.

Feeding red crossbills through the Nevada year

Top foods: Black-oil sunflower, Hulled sunflower.
In Nevada's winter: Cold, dry winters in Reno and the north; mild winters in the south.

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

Frequently asked

Are red crossbills in Nevada year-round?

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

When do red crossbills nest in Nevada?

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

What native plants attract red crossbills in Nevada?

Rocky Mountain juniper, Ponderosa pine, Douglas fir are native plants in Nevada that provide food or cover for red crossbills.

Other backyard birds in Nevada

Black-capped Chickadee Downy Woodpecker Hairy Woodpecker American Goldfinch White-breasted Nuthatch House Wren House Finch Mourning Dove American Robin Dark-eyed Junco Song Sparrow Chipping Sparrow Northern Flicker Red-breasted Nuthatch Brown Creeper Red-winged Blackbird Evening Grosbeak Pine Siskin Northern Mockingbird Cedar Waxwing Tree Swallow Barn Swallow Yellow-rumped Warbler Eastern Kingbird American Tree Sparrow House Sparrow European Starling Woodhouse's Scrub-Jay Black-billed Magpie Mountain Chickadee Bushtit Juniper Titmouse Pygmy Nuthatch Anna's Hummingbird Black-chinned Hummingbird Broad-tailed Hummingbird Costa's Hummingbird Lesser Goldfinch Cassin's Finch Spotted Towhee Gambel's Quail California Quail Western Bluebird Mountain Bluebird Say's Phoebe Black Phoebe Gila Woodpecker Ladder-backed Woodpecker Cactus Wren Verdin Bewick's Wren White-crowned Sparrow Fox Sparrow Violet-green Swallow Black-headed Grosbeak Lazuli Bunting Bullock's Oriole Eurasian Collared-Dove White-winged Dove American Crow Common Raven Cooper's Hawk Sharp-shinned Hawk Red-tailed Hawk Great Horned Owl American Kestrel Wild Turkey Mallard Great Blue Heron Belted Kingfisher Brown-headed Cowbird Ruby-crowned Kinglet Golden-crowned Kinglet Hermit Thrush Pine Grosbeak Western Tanager Hooded Oriole Phainopepla Black-throated Sparrow Lark Sparrow Green-tailed Towhee Pinyon Jay Clark's Nutcracker Western Screech-Owl Hooded Merganser Band-tailed Pigeon Yellow Warbler Common Yellowthroat American Redstart Yellow-breasted Chat Orange-crowned Warbler Red-eyed Vireo Warbling Vireo Least Flycatcher Western Kingbird Vermilion Flycatcher Ash-throated Flycatcher 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 White-headed Woodpecker Savannah Sparrow Vesper Sparrow Snow Bunting Lapland Longspur Horned Lark Blue Grosbeak White-winged Crossbill Gray-crowned Rosy-Finch Bohemian Waxwing Cactus Wren Greater Roadrunner Bobolink Yellow-headed Blackbird Brewer's Blackbird Great-tailed Grackle 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.