Diet
What do red crossbills eat?
Conifer seeds pried from cones with the crossed bill.
Finches (Fringillidae)Red CrossbillLoxia curvirostra
Spring and summer diet
- Spruce, pine and fir seeds
Fall and winter diet
- Conifer seeds; sunflower at feeders in flight years
Best feeder foods
- Black-oil sunflower
- Hulled sunflower
Nomadic — appears when cone crops fail elsewhere, empties sunflower feeders, then vanishes for years.
Where red crossbills need winter food
Regions where red crossbills are present in the cold months:
AlabamaAlaskaAlbertaArizonaArkansasBritish ColumbiaCaliforniaColoradoConnecticutDelawareFloridaGeorgiaIdahoIllinoisIndianaIowaKentuckyLouisianaMaineManitobaMarylandMassachusettsMichiganMinnesotaMississippiMissouriMontanaNebraskaNevadaNew BrunswickNew HampshireNew JerseyNew MexicoNew YorkNewfoundland and LabradorNorth CarolinaNorth DakotaNorthwest TerritoriesNova ScotiaNunavutOhioOklahomaOntarioOregonPennsylvaniaPrince Edward IslandQuebecRhode IslandSaskatchewanSouth CarolinaSouth DakotaTennesseeTexasUtahVermontVirginiaWashingtonWest VirginiaWisconsinWyomingYukon
Frequently asked
What do red crossbills eat?
Conifer seeds pried from cones with the crossed bill.
What is the best food to feed red crossbills?
Black-oil sunflower, Hulled sunflower.
What do red crossbills eat in winter?
Conifer seeds; sunflower at feeders in flight years.
Sources
- Red Crossbill — All About Birds, Cornell Lab of Ornithology
- Red Crossbill life history — Cornell Lab of Ornithology
- Red Crossbill — Audubon Guide to North American Birds
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.