Red Crossbill in January
Where red crossbills are in January, whether they are nesting, and the best foods to offer right now.
January in the Red Crossbill's year
January is the coldest month across most of the US and Canada. Natural food is at its scarcest — insects are dormant, many seed heads are stripped, and snow cover hides what remains. Birds concentrate where food is reliable, which makes this the single best month to watch a well-stocked feeding station.
For the Red Crossbill specifically, January is a winter month inside the nesting season — one of the most active and demanding periods of this bird's year. Across the 61 states and provinces where red crossbills occur, what the bird is doing this month depends heavily on latitude — the details below break it down by band.
Where red crossbills are in January
- Southern states
- absent
- Mid-latitudes
- year-round resident
- Northern states & Canada
- absent
In January, red crossbills are absent in the South, year-round resident across the mid-latitudes, and absent in the northern states and Canada. That north–south split is the defining feature of this month: where you live changes which version of this bird you're looking at.
Nesting in January
January is inside the Red Crossbill nesting season — about a month earlier in the South and a month later in the North. Nest: cup on a conifer branch; can nest in any month when cones are ripe. Clutch 2–5 eggs, incubation 12–16 days, 1–2 per season.
In the South the season is already underway, while northern birds are still settling territories — a pair in Florida or Texas may be on eggs weeks before a pair in Minnesota or Ontario has even chosen a nest site. During the nesting months, adults switch to protein-rich foods for their young, become more secretive around the nest site, and often visit feeders in quick, purposeful trips rather than lingering.
What to feed in January
- Conifer seeds; sunflower at feeders in flight years
Nomadic — appears when cone crops fail elsewhere, empties sunflower feeders, then vanishes for years.
Keep feeders consistently filled; birds add dependable stations to their daily foraging routes and suffer when one suddenly runs empty during a cold snap. High-energy foods matter most now.
Full Red Crossbill diet guide → · Best feeder for red crossbills →
Watching red crossbills this month
In January, the best watching is around food rather than the nest — adults make repeated foraging trips and are most visible at dawn and dusk. Give nesting birds space: if a bird is carrying food or scolding you persistently, you're close to a nest and should back off.
The state guides below show exactly where in your region red crossbills are expected this month and which native plants hold them in a yard.
Red Crossbill month by month
Red Crossbill by state
Frequently asked
Where are red crossbills in January?
In January, red crossbills are absent in the South, year-round resident across mid-latitudes and absent in the North.
Do red crossbills nest in January?
Yes — January falls inside the Red Crossbill nesting season at mid-latitudes.
What do red crossbills eat in January?
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.