3 replies to this topic

[Pat B.]

Tonight what sure looked like a White-winged Crossbill made a quick fly-by through our yard, landed in a tree long enough for me to get a look with binocs (doesn't everyone keep binocs around their neck during happy hour?), and then bounced off a feeder and took off.

At first I thought it was a Black-headed Grosbeak, which we have from time to time, but this bird was not at all orange; he was a true red (not brown with some red like a House or Cassin's Finch). He was probably somewhat smaller than a BHGB. Dark wings with two large white wing patches; the size and shape of the patches matches Sibley's (Western). The bill seemed dark and largish and there was some dark on the face. I really couldn't make out whether he had the crossed bill, which of course would have confirmed it. Definitely not a Cardinal (which we don't have here anyway), not an Orchard Oriole.

The only other bird I can think of that is somewhat, but not very, close is a Pine Grosbeak. I have never seen either of these birds, so am relying on my field guides. The Pine Gr. seems quite a bit lighter in the pictures I've seen, and this bird was quite red.

I'm reluctant to make a firm ID on this because the WWCB would be quite unusual in my locale here, although they are reported in the higher elevations sometimes (not often), Pine Grosbeaks more often, but those are also more in the mountains (this per eBird). We are at about 4600' and we do have some Spruces and Pines in the yard.

Any thoughts?

[psweet]

Sounds good, the only caveat I would have is that the red on a male White-winged Crossbill is typically a rose pink, not too far off a male Pine Grosbeak. Otherwise, Black-headed Grosbeak or Bullock's Oriole in weird light, or something with some very strategic leucism.

[Pat B.]

Thanks, Psweet. Not really seeing the crossed bill is making me uncomfortable. I am very familiar with BHGBs & BUOR, both of which we have off and on in our yard during the summer, and am quite sure it was neither of those (the light was good, and he was quite close to us). The two things that stood out were the very red (pinky-red, not orangey-red) color, and the sharp contrast and delineation between the large white wing patches and the dark wings. I'm seeing less sharp contrast in the pictures of the Pine Grosbeak. Dead-ringer for the adult male in Sibley's Western, p. 449. But, as I said, either of these would be a lifer, so I don't know.

The other thing that concerns me is Sibley's note that WWCBs are almost always in flocks and rarely away from Spruces and Hemlocks. We have a couple of small Spruces in the yard, but that isn't where he landed, and he was definitely alone. He acted like he had no idea where he was and didn't want to be there. Kind of like he arrived, said "oops," and took off.

[BarnSwallow]

I've read that the crossed bill is very difficult to see. I've seen WWCBs, but I saw them pretty close up, and they were pretty unmistakeable because I got such a good look at them.