Birds Around Las Vegas, Wildlife Around Las Vegas
 Red Crossbill adult male: note the crossed bill |
General Description: Red Crossbills (Loxia curvirostra) are finches of the high mountains with funny crossed bills -- the lower mandible curves up, while the upper mandible hooks down, and the two cross each other. Adult males are dark red overall with blackish wings. Females are yellow overall with blackish wings. Juvenile birds are pale with a streaked breast. Taxonomy: Passeriformes, Fringillidae, Carduelinae. Favored Habitat: High-elevation mountain forests with pine and fir trees. |
 Red Crossbill adult female: note the crossed bill |
Where to Find: Around Las Vegas, look for Red Crossbills up on Mt. Charleston, high in the Sheep Range, and other high mountain areas. Comments: Red Crossbill eat pine seeds, and their bills are adapted for prying open pine cones so they can extract the seed with their tongue. |
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If you were a tasty pine seed, you'd better hope you never see this face! |
Red Crossbill adult male |
 Red Crossbill adult male |
 Young males are yellow like females, but age into red feathers |
 Red Crossbill juvenile male getting started with a bath |
 Red Crossbill female (yellow) and male (red) |
 Red Crossbill female |
 Red Crossbill female |
 Red Crossbill female |
 Red Crossbill female |
 Red Crossbill female |
 Red Crossbill female |
 Red Crossbill female opening pine-cone scales |
 Red Crossbill female in typical habitat: a bristlecone pine tree |
 Red Crossbill males and female drinking |
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