MALE & FEMALE RED CROSSBILLS & PARTIALLY LEUCISTIC FEMALE RED CROSSBILL, WESTERN UPLANDS (MILE 3), NIPISSING DISTRICT, ONTARIO, 9/15/2024 - NEW SPECIES TO LIFE LIST

   We can ID these crossbills as Red Crossbills as follows:

• Medium size
• The distinctive mandibles are curved and cross at their tips.  This type of bill enables crossbills to extract seeds from conifer cones and other fruits.
• Short, deeply notched, dark tail
• Dark eyes
• Dark wings
• The male's (on right in first photo and in second photo) plumage is reddish with others colors mixed in: gray, yellow-green, etc.
• The female (upper two birds in first photo and photos three to five) has mostly yellow-green plumage with some red mixed in.
• The female with white patches I believe is partially leucistic.  Leucism  is the partial loss or full loss of pigmentation in an animal (except for the eyes) and it causes white, pale or patchy coloration of the feathers, skin, hair and scales.

    The Red Crossbill is a new species to our ebird Photographic Life List. Our ebird Life List now stands at 1,157.