Forest and Rangeland Birds of the United States
Natural History and Habitat Use
White-winged Crossbill -- Loxia leucoptera
RANGE: Resident from northeastern Alaska, south to the Pacific Northwest, throughout most of southern Canada, the eastern coast of Canada, and northern New England.
STATUS: Irregular.
HABITAT: Inhabits boreal forests, leaving them only when food is scarce.
SPECIAL HABITAT REQUIREMENTS: Conifer forests.
NEST: Builds a deep, saucer-shaped nest composed of lichens and twigs on branches of conifer trees. Frequently locates nest in a spruce tree, sometimes relatively close to the ground (2 to 70 feet). May breed during any month of the year, but mostly from January to May.
FOOD: Consumes a variety of foods, but seems to prefer seeds of Norway spruce and hemlock. Also eats insects, seeds of other conifers and deciduous trees, and some fruits.
REFERENCES: Forbush and May 1955, Terres 1980.
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