Ontario · Year-round resident

Red Crossbills in Ontario

When red crossbills are present in Ontario, when they nest, which native Ontario plants feed them, and how to host them in a Canadian zones 0a–7a yard.

Finches (Fringillidae)Red CrossbillLoxia curvirostra

Status in Ontario: Year-round resident
Nesting window: February–December
Broods: 1–2 per season
Hardiness zones: Canadian zones 0a–7a (southern Ontario roughly equivalent to USDA 4–6)

When to expect red crossbills in Ontario

Red Crossbills live in Ontario all year. Cold, snowy winters; feeder flocks are dominated by chickadees, nuthatches, woodpeckers and finches. That makes the cold months the time your yard matters most to them.

Humid continental in the south, boreal and subarctic in the north; most backyard birding happens in the southern Great Lakes lowlands.

Nesting in Ontario

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

Short, warm summers; Point Pelee and Long Point are continent-famous migration sites.

Red Crossbills don't use nest boxes. Keep dense native shrubs and trees such as eastern red cedar, eastern white pine, eastern hemlock for nest sites.
Delay heavy pruning of shrubs until after December.

Native Ontario plants that attract red crossbills

Of the regional native plants we track for Ontario, these 7 provide food or cover red crossbills use:

Eastern red cedar

Juniperus virginiana · Tree

Dense evergreen roost cover and bluish 'berries' eaten through winter.

Eastern white pine

Pinus strobus · Tree

Seed-rich cones and year-round shelter.

Eastern hemlock

Tsuga canadensis · Tree

Small cones for siskins and chickadees; dense winter roosting.

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 Ontario year

Top foods: Black-oil sunflower, Hulled sunflower.
In Ontario's winter: Cold, snowy winters; feeder flocks are dominated by chickadees, nuthatches, woodpeckers and finches.

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

Frequently asked

Are red crossbills in Ontario year-round?

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

When do red crossbills nest in Ontario?

Nesting in Ontario 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 Ontario?

Eastern red cedar, Eastern white pine, Eastern hemlock, Balsam fir, White spruce, Black spruce, Tamarack are native plants in Ontario that provide food or cover for red crossbills.

Other backyard birds in Ontario

Northern Cardinal Eastern Bluebird Black-capped Chickadee Purple Martin Downy Woodpecker Hairy Woodpecker American Goldfinch Tufted Titmouse White-breasted Nuthatch House Wren Blue Jay House Finch Purple Finch Ruby-throated Hummingbird Carolina Wren Mourning Dove American Robin Dark-eyed Junco White-throated Sparrow Song Sparrow Chipping Sparrow Red-bellied Woodpecker Northern Flicker Pileated Woodpecker Red-headed Woodpecker Yellow-bellied Sapsucker Red-breasted Nuthatch Brown Creeper Common Grackle Red-winged Blackbird Baltimore Oriole Orchard Oriole Rose-breasted Grosbeak Evening Grosbeak Pine Siskin Common Redpoll Indigo Bunting Eastern Towhee Gray Catbird Brown Thrasher Cedar Waxwing Tree Swallow Barn Swallow Eastern Phoebe Chimney Swift Yellow-rumped Warbler Pine Warbler Eastern Screech-Owl Wood Thrush Great Crested Flycatcher Eastern Kingbird American Tree Sparrow House Sparrow European Starling Canada Jay American Crow Common Raven Cooper's Hawk Sharp-shinned Hawk Red-tailed Hawk Barred Owl Great Horned Owl American Kestrel Wood Duck Wild Turkey Mallard Great Blue Heron Belted Kingfisher Scarlet Tanager Eastern Meadowlark Brown-headed Cowbird Ruby-crowned Kinglet Golden-crowned Kinglet Hermit Thrush Winter Wren Pine Grosbeak Gray Catbird Lark Sparrow Hooded Merganser Yellow Warbler Common Yellowthroat American Redstart Black-and-white Warbler Prothonotary Warbler Ovenbird Yellow-breasted Chat Orange-crowned Warbler Palm Warbler Red-eyed Vireo Warbling Vireo Eastern Wood-Pewee Least Flycatcher Cliff Swallow Northern Rough-winged Swallow Bank Swallow Common Nighthawk Eastern Whip-poor-will Canada Goose American Coot Killdeer Spotted Sandpiper American Woodcock Green Heron Great Egret Black-crowned Night Heron Turkey Vulture Osprey Bald Eagle Red-shouldered Hawk 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 Dickcissel Common Redpoll Hoary Redpoll White-winged Crossbill Bohemian Waxwing Yellow-billed Cuckoo 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.