Red Crossbill Loxia curvirostra
Etymology:
- Loxia : loxos – crosswise, slanting;
- Curvirostra : Latin word curvus –curved ; –rostris -billed
- Himalayensis : From Himalayas
Distribution in India: Resident of Himalayas.
- Sub Species: L.c. himalayensis – Himalayas in North India (Himachal Pradesh to at least Arunachal Pradesh)
Description: Size of 14–20 cm; weight of 23–53 g. It is a medium-large finch with large head, plump body, short legs and short, forked tail. It has a distinctive large broad-based bill with pointed mandibles crossed at tip (to right or left). The male of nominate race has brick-red forehead to crown, nape and upperparts (variable, bright red to deep orange) with dusky-brown mottling. The scapulars are browner, washed variably orange-red to brick-red, rump is bright pink or reddish-pink, uppertail-coverts are brown, fringed reddish-brown. The tail is dark brown or blackish, finely edged reddish-brown. The upperwing is blackish or blackish-brown, median and greater coverts are finely edged pinkish to reddish-brown, flight-feathers are finely edged buffish to pink or reddish-brown in fresh plumage; The lores to eye are dusky, eyestripe and rear of ear-coverts are grey to grey-brown, rest of face is brick-red with a feeble paler pinkish-red supercilium. The throat and underparts are almost entirely red or orange-red, mottled darker on breast and tinged greyish on flanks, centre of belly to undertail-coverts are off-white or washed pinkish and with dark grey feather centres or tips. The iris is dark brown or black; bill is grey to greyish-horn, paler or yellowish cutting edges; legs are brown or dark brown.
In worn plumage, head and upperparts are brighter red, lacking dusky mottling, wing and tail are more uniformly blackish, with fringes reduced or absent.
The female lacks red in plumage; has bright olive-green to greenish-grey head and upperparts mottled or streaked darker on crown. The face is darker olive or tinged greyer except for poorly defined pale green supercilium, nape is also paler green than crown. The mantle and back has dusky feather bases and scapulars are slightly darker olive-green, rump is bright yellowish-green, the uppertail-coverts are the same with dark olive centres. The tail and wing as on male, but finely edged dull greenish-olive; below it is olive-yellow, sometimes tinged with green or with greyer feather bases visible, belly to undertail-coverts is whitish with dusky spots and shaft streaks. In in worn plumage, head and upperparts are brighter green, rump and uppertail-coverts are tinged golden or bronze-yellow, and underparts are yellower with dusky-greyish streaks on throat, bare parts much as for male.
The juvenile has forehead to nape and upperparts broadly streaked olive-brown or blackish and off-white to pale buff, mantle and scapulars are slightly darker, olive-green (male) or brown (female). The rump is yellowish or yellowish-green and narrowly streaked darker (or browner on male), uppertail-coverts are dark brown, longest coverts are fringed olive or olive-grey, tail and wing as on female but all wing-coverts are finely tipped buff (narrow wingbars). The edges and tips of tertials are buffish, tips of tail feathers are more pointed than on adult, face is grey-brown with fine dark streaks, rear ear-coverts are often dark-barred, supercilium and small subocular spot is pale buff, finely spotted darker. The underparts are off-white to buffish-yellow, heavily streaked blackish-brown.
The first-winter and first-summer males are variably greenish-yellow to yellowish-orange or orange-red, mottled darker, with grey-brown centres most prominent on head, upper mantle and breast to belly and flanks. It retains juvenile wing (outer coverts with narrow whitish tips) and tail (feathers with green to olive-green fringes), and some streaks on underparts, but edges and streaks usually lost by first summer. In worn plumage it becomes brighter, bright orange to golden-yellow with tinges of yellow or orange-scarlet, with reduced dusky centres on body, and wing and tail feathers are heavily worn or abraded.
The first-winter and first-summer females are like adult female, but with buff tips on greater coverts and slight streaks on upperparts and underparts, retains juvenile wing and tail feathers (green to olive-green fringes reduce with wear and become heavily abraded).
The adult plumage acquired in first complete moult in late second winter or second summer, when some individuals up to 18 months old.
Races differ mainly in size, in bill size, and in intensity of adult plumage coloration and extent of red or green:
Himalayensis is smaller than nominate, smaller-billed and slimmer, also darkest race. The male is dark cherry-red or brownish-red, female is sooty grey with brown or olive tinge.
Habitat: It is found in Lowland to submontane conifer forests and woodlands. It is found 900–3500 m.
Food habits: It eats seeds, buds and shoots of trees and plants; also some insects and larvae, and other invertebrates. It forages actively, perching on or hanging upside-down from cones to extract seeds. It clambers among thin branches, using bill to grab branches or cones. It also walks sideways to reach cone. It hangs and stretches acrobatically from slender branch to reach cones. It also breaks off cone by biting through stalk and holds cone under foot or against underside of branch while extracting seeds. The bill tips is inserted between scales of cone and turned, and seed extracted with upper mandible or tongue.
Breeding habits: They breed in seasons determined largely by food abundance in Indian Subcontinent and may breed continuously for up to nine months. In years of reduction or failure of pine crop may not breed at all. They are monogamous; pair-bond lasts for only single breeding season. They are solitary or loosely colonial. The territory is used for nesting only. The display includes rising, circular song flight by pair, bill-touching, “bill-scissoring” and courtship feeding. In full display, male approaches female, his wings drooped, exposing rump, flanks ruffled, and sways body while calling “whee-oo”; sexual chases of female by male around or through trees, and courtship feeding of female by male from nest-site selection through to chick-brooding stage. The nest is built by female, accompanied by male. The nest is a deep cup of conifer twigs, bark or rotting wood strips, plant fibres, grass, moss, lichens, animal hair and feathers, placed above ground, close to trunk in spruce or along branch of pine. They lay a clutch of 3–4 eggs. The eggs are creamy or bluish-white, sparsely marked with fine dark purple specks, spots or scrawls. The incubation is done by female for a period 14–16 days. The chicks are fed and cared for by both parents. The nestling period is 20–25 days. The young are fed by parents for up to 6 weeks after fledging, apparently also beg from parents when fully independent and able to feed themselves. The nestlings fed mainly with regurgitated conifer and pine seeds, occasionally with insect larvae.