Diet
What do white-winged crossbills eat?
Spruce and tamarack seeds pried from cones.
Finches (Fringillidae)White-winged CrossbillLoxia leucoptera
Spring and summer diet
- Spruce, larch and hemlock seeds
Fall and winter diet
- Conifer seeds; occasional sunflower
Best feeder foods
- Hulled sunflower
- Black-oil sunflower
Wanders the boreal forest chasing spruce cone crops; nests in any month cones are ripe.
Where white-winged crossbills need winter food
Regions where white-winged crossbills are present in the cold months:
AlabamaAlaskaAlbertaArkansasBritish ColumbiaColoradoConnecticutDelawareFloridaGeorgiaIdahoIllinoisIndianaIowaKentuckyLouisianaMaineManitobaMarylandMassachusettsMichiganMinnesotaMississippiMissouriMontanaNebraskaNevadaNew BrunswickNew HampshireNew JerseyNew YorkNewfoundland and LabradorNorth CarolinaNorth DakotaNorthwest TerritoriesNova ScotiaNunavutOhioOklahomaOntarioPennsylvaniaPrince Edward IslandQuebecRhode IslandSaskatchewanSouth CarolinaSouth DakotaTennesseeUtahVermontVirginiaWest VirginiaWisconsinWyomingYukon
Frequently asked
What do white-winged crossbills eat?
Spruce and tamarack seeds pried from cones.
What is the best food to feed white-winged crossbills?
Hulled sunflower, Black-oil sunflower.
What do white-winged crossbills eat in winter?
Conifer seeds; occasional sunflower.
Sources
- White-winged Crossbill — All About Birds, Cornell Lab of Ornithology
- White-winged Crossbill life history — Cornell Lab of Ornithology
- White-winged 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.