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Home/Species/ White-winged Crossbill

Loxia leucoptera

Gmelin, 1789

White-winged Crossbill

G5Secure Found in 62 roadless areas NatureServe Explorer →
G5SecureGlobal Rank
Least concernIUCN
Identity
Unique IDELEMENT_GLOBAL.2.105473
Element CodeABPBY05020
Record TypeSPECIES
ClassificationSpecies
Classification StatusStandard
Name CategoryVertebrate Animal
IUCNLeast concern
Endemicoccurs (regularly, as a native taxon) in multiple nations
KingdomAnimalia
PhylumCraniata
ClassAves
OrderPasseriformes
FamilyFringillidae
GenusLoxia
Other Common Names
Bec-croisé bifascié (FR) white-winged crossbill (EN)
Concept Reference
American Ornithologists' Union (AOU). 1998. Check-list of North American birds. Seventh edition. American Ornithologists' Union, Washington, D.C. [as modified by subsequent supplements and corrections published in The Auk]. Also available online: http://www.aou.org/.
Taxonomic Comments
Formerly included populations resident on Hispaniola, now separated as L. megaplaga (AOU 2003).

Song differences between North American and European populations suggest that more than one species exists and that further study is warranted (Elmberg 1993).
Conservation Status
Rank MethodExpertise without calculation
Review Date2016-04-09
Change Date1996-12-04
Range Extent>2,500,000 square km (greater than 1,000,000 square miles)
Rank Reasons
Widespread in North America and Eurasia; in North America, areas with apparent declines seem to outnumber areas with seemingly stable or increasing populations, but overall there is no significant upward or downward trend.
Range Extent Comments
Northern Eurasia and northern North America. RESIDENT: (North America) western and central Alaska, northern Yukon, Mackenzie, northern Ontario, northern Quebec, north-central Labrador, south to Washington, northeastern Oregon, northern Minnesota, northern Wisconsin, south-central Ontario, northern New Hampshire, northeastern New York; wanders in winter to northern Texas, North Carolina, and other states of similar latitude (Terres 1980, AOU 1983).
Ecology & Habitat

Habitat

Coniferous forest (especially spruce, fir or larch), mixed c oniferous-deciduous woodland, and forest edge; in migration and winter also may occur in deciduous forest and woodland (AOU 1983). Nests usually in a conifer.

Ecology

Does not maintain a feeding territory when breeding.

Reproduction

May nest any month; depends in part on food supply. Clutch size is 2-5 (usually 3-4). Incubation lasts probably 12-14 days (Terres 1980). Young are fed by both parents, but sometimes by male only (presumably when female deserts and renests). Individual females possibly sometimes produce 2 broods per year (Benkman 1989, Benkman 1990).
Terrestrial Habitats
Forest - ConiferForest - MixedWoodland - ConiferWoodland - Mixed
Other Nations (2)
United StatesN5
ProvinceRankNative
South DakotaS3NYes
OhioSNRNYes
MassachusettsS1B,S4NYes
WyomingS2Yes
KansasSNAYes
WisconsinSUB,S2NYes
North CarolinaSNAYes
IdahoS3Yes
District of ColumbiaS1NYes
North DakotaSNAYes
West VirginiaSNAYes
UtahS1Yes
ColoradoS1BYes
KentuckySNAYes
MichiganS4Yes
AlaskaS5Yes
New HampshireSNAYes
IllinoisSNAYes
MinnesotaSNRB,SNRNYes
New JerseySUNYes
ConnecticutSNAYes
IndianaS1NYes
NebraskaSNRNYes
New MexicoS3NYes
IowaS2NYes
MaineS3B,S3NYes
WashingtonS3BYes
New YorkS2Yes
MontanaS4Yes
VermontS3B,S3NYes
MissouriSNAYes
CanadaN5
ProvinceRankNative
British ColumbiaS5Yes
QuebecS5Yes
Northwest TerritoriesS5Yes
AlbertaS5Yes
New BrunswickS5Yes
Island of NewfoundlandS5Yes
Yukon TerritoryS5Yes
OntarioS5Yes
Prince Edward IslandS3Yes
LabradorS5Yes
ManitobaS5Yes
SaskatchewanS4B,S3NYes
NunavutSUBYes
Nova ScotiaS4Yes
Roadless Areas (62)
Alaska (22)
AreaForestAcres
Bering LakeChugach National Forest965,076
Boston BarChugach National Forest53,617
ChichagofTongass National Forest555,858
Chilkat-West Lynn CanalTongass National Forest199,772
College FiordChugach National Forest1,130,818
Copper River WetlandsChugach National Forest85,972
Douglas IslandTongass National Forest28,065
Game CreekTongass National Forest54,469
Johnson PassChugach National Forest152,508
Juneau UrbanTongass National Forest101,581
Kenai LakeChugach National Forest213,172
Kenai MountainsChugach National Forest306,600
Mansfield PeninsulaTongass National Forest54,991
Nellie JuanChugach National Forest713,697
North BaranofTongass National Forest314,089
RedoubtTongass National Forest68,347
ResurrectionChugach National Forest224,615
Roaded DonutChugach National Forest968
Sheridan GlacierChugach National Forest224,683
Sitka UrbanTongass National Forest112,003
Tenakee RidgeTongass National Forest20,527
Twenty MileChugach National Forest198,775
Idaho (2)
AreaForestAcres
Pioneer MountainsSalmon-Challis National Forest172,460
Pioneer MountainsSawtooth National Forest119,563
Michigan (1)
AreaForestAcres
FibreHiawatha National Forest7,432
Minnesota (1)
AreaForestAcres
Phantom LakeSuperior National Forest6,521
Montana (10)
AreaForestAcres
Big Creek #701Kootenai National Forest7,530
Buckhorn Ridge (MT)Kootenai National Forest34,716
Cabinet Face East #671Kootenai National Forest50,326
Evans GulchLolo National Forest8,059
Lolo CreekLolo National Forest14,335
Lost Water CanyonCuster National Forest9,251
Lost Water Canyon RnaCuster National Forest561
North AbsarokaCuster National Forest21,063
Scotchman Peaks (MT)Kootenai National Forest53,909
Willard Estelle #173Kootenai National Forest3,714
New Hampshire (8)
AreaForestAcres
KearsargeWhite Mountain National Forest4,554
Kinsman MountainWhite Mountain National Forest8,999
PemigewassetWhite Mountain National Forest32,255
Pemigewasset ExtWhite Mountain National Forest15,840
Presidential - Dry River ExtWhite Mountain National Forest10,555
Sandwich RangeWhite Mountain National Forest16,797
WatervilleWhite Mountain National Forest4,312
Wild RiverWhite Mountain National Forest46,878
Oregon (5)
AreaForestAcres
HellholeUmatilla National Forest65,679
Little SheepWallowa-Whitman National Forest5,238
Mt. JeffersonDeschutes National Forest2,282
Waldo - MoolackWillamette National Forest1,183
Walla Walla RiverUmatilla National Forest34,416
Utah (2)
AreaForestAcres
Swan Creek MountainWasatch-Cache National Forest9,390
Twin PeaksWasatch-Cache National Forest6,157
Vermont (2)
AreaForestAcres
Bread LoafGreen Mountain and Finger Lakes National Forests1,768
Lye Brook Addition 09085Green Mountain and Finger Lakes National Forests1,111
Washington (4)
AreaForestAcres
Heather LakeWenatchee National Forest10,628
Liberty BellOkanogan National Forest108,495
Long SwampOkanogan National Forest66,344
Pasayten RimOkanogan National Forest17,074
Wisconsin (1)
AreaForestAcres
09180 - Perch LakeChequamegon-Nicolet National Forest2,390
Wyoming (4)
AreaForestAcres
Cloud Peak ContiguousBighorn National Forest113,757
Grayback RidgeBridger-Teton National Forest295,113
Middle ForkShoshone National Forest51,772
Salt River RangeBridger-Teton National Forest235,661
References (19)
  1. American Ornithologists' Union (AOU). 1983. Check-list of North American Birds, 6th edition. Allen Press, Inc., Lawrence, Kansas. 877 pp.
  2. American Ornithologists' Union (AOU). 1998. Check-list of North American birds. Seventh edition. American Ornithologists' Union, Washington, D.C. [as modified by subsequent supplements and corrections published in <i>The Auk</i>]. Also available online: http://www.aou.org/.
  3. Balda, R. P., and G. C. Bateman. 1971. Flocking and annual cycle of the piñon jay, <i>Gymnorhinus cyanocephalus</i>. Condor 73:287-302.
  4. Benkman, C. W. 1989. Breeding opportunities, foraging rates, and parental care in white-winged crosbills. Auk 106:483-485.
  5. Benkman, C. W. 1990. Intake rates and the timing of crossbill reproduction. Auk 107:376-386.
  6. Benkman, C.W. 1992. White-winged Crossbill (<i>Loxia leucoptera</i>). In A. Poole, P. Stettenheim, and F. Gill, editors, The Birds of North America, No. 27. Academy of Natural Sciences, Philadelphia, and American Ornithologists' Union, Washington, DC. 20 pp.
  7. Elmberg, J. 1993. Song differences between North American and European White-winged Crossbills. Auk 110:385.
  8. Harrison, C. 1978. A Field Guide to the Nests, Eggs and Nestlings of North American Birds. Collins, Cleveland, Ohio.
  9. Horn, H. S. 1968. The adaptive significance of colonial nesting in the Brewer's Blackbird. Ecology 49:682-694.
  10. Ligon, J. D. 1971. Late summer-autumnal breeding of the piñon jay in New Mexico. Condor 73:147-153.
  11. Moore, W. S., and R. A. Dolbeer. 1989. The use of banding recovery data to estimate dispersal rates and gene flow in avian species: case studies in the Red-winged Blackbird and Common Grackle. Condor 91:242-253.
  12. Parker III, T. A., D. F. Stotz, and J. W. Fitzpatrick. 1996. Ecological and distributional databases for neotropical birds. The University of Chicago Press, Chicago.
  13. Poole, A. F. and F. B. Gill. 1992. The birds of North America. The American Ornithologists' Union, Washington, D.C. and The Academy of Natural Sciences, Philadelphia, PA.
  14. Raffaele, H., J. Wiley, O. Garrido, A. Keith, and J. Raffaele. 1998. A guide to the birds of the West Indies. Princeton University Press, Princeton, NJ. 511 pp.
  15. Tarvin, K. A., and G. E. Woolfenden. 1999. Blue Jay (<i>Cyanocitta cristata</i>). No. 469 IN A. Poole and F. Gill, editors. The birds of North America. The Birds of North America, Inc., Philadelphia, PA. 32pp.
  16. Terres, J. K. 1980. The Audubon Society encyclopedia of North American birds. Alfred A. Knopf, New York.
  17. Thompson, F. R., III. 1994. Temporal and spatial patterns of breeding brown-headed cowbirds in the midwestern United States. Auk 111:979-990.
  18. Williams, L. 1952b. Breeding behavior of the Brewer blackbird. Condor 54:3-47.
  19. Willson, M. F. 1966. Breeding ecology of the Yellow-headed Blackbird. Ecological Monographs 36:51-77.