The following story was submitted by MIBC member Gord Curry. Thanks for your ongoing contributions to our blog Gord!
A common sight through most winters, here on Malcolm Island, are flocks of Red crossbills flying around the conifer tree tops in search of seed cones. Their bills are actually crossed, a remarkable adaptation that allows them to efficiently access the seeds inside the cones.
This species will feed primarily on spruce, hemlock, Douglas-fir and pine seeds they pick out of the cones. Cone crop abundance can vary dramatically from year to year. When the cone crop is low Red crossbills can even be scarce here, as they migrate to find better pickings. Crossbills can breed anytime of the year where food is abundant, and the females are olive yellow while the males are a brick red.
Although Red crossbills in North America consist of ten call types with bills slightly different and specialized to their dominant food source cones, they are not considered different species. There is one other, the White-winged crossbill, that is a separate species and generally found in the B.C. interior and to the north and east. There are flocks of them here on our little island feeding separately and amongst their cousins the Red crossbills. White-winged crossbills have two white wing patches, but the sexes are similarly coloured with the females brownish yellow and the males a pinkish red. The White-winged crossbills are slightly smaller than their cousins as is their bill is sized to feed on softer cones such as hemlock and spruce.
This winter I have seen several flocks of White-winged crossbills here and sometimes feeding with the Red crossbills. In years when a species migrates in sufficient numbers away from their normal range it is referred to as an “irruption”. This is one of those years, as White-winged crossbills are enjoying the abundance of spruce and hemlock here and south through central Vancouver Island. South of this the climatic zone changes and the spruce/hemlock mix is no longer so dominant.
I was lucky to see them up close when the two species were feeding in a same small spruce tree right next to the beach. First, I saw the Red crossbills land on a large beach log and drink from a knothole depression. Right after this both species landed right on the beach where they appeared to be picking up tiny stones, presumably for their crop and to obtain minerals. I managed a few pictures just as the showers were turning to rain.
Malcolm Island Bird Club 