The White-winged Crossbill is the more northern of the two crossbills, and like its cousin it wears a crossed bill for prying seeds from conifer cones, but it is easily separated by the two bold white wing bars that stand out against its black wings. Males are a lovely rosy-pink, females olive-yellow and streaky, and flocks are highly social and vocal, giving dry rattling calls and sweet, canary-like trills as they swarm through spruces. It especially favors the small, soft cones of spruce and tamarack, which its slightly finer bill handles well.
Even more than the Red Crossbill, the White-winged is a nomad of the boreal forest, ranging enormous distances in search of good cone crops and appearing in Michigan mainly in winter and mainly in irruption years, when northern cone failures push flocks south. Like other crossbills it can breed opportunistically whenever food is plentiful, including in winter. When a spruce crop is heavy, wandering flocks of pink-and-black White-winged Crossbills singing from the treetops are among the delights of a northern Michigan winter.
Feeds chiefly on the seeds of spruce, tamarack, and other conifers, using its crossed bill to open the cones, and takes some buds and insects. It especially favors small, soft spruce cones, and its nomadic movements and opportunistic breeding both follow the cone crop.
The White-winged Crossbill has two bold white wing bars against black wings, which the Red Crossbill lacks. Males are rosy-pink rather than brick-red, and it favors small spruce and tamarack cones.
Mainly in winter and mainly in irruption years, when northern cone failures push flocks south. In good spruce-cone years it can be fairly common; in others it is largely absent.
Yes. Like the Red Crossbill, it can nest opportunistically whenever conifer seeds are abundant, including midwinter, since its food supply rather than the season governs breeding.
Streaky birds with two bold white wingbars are juveniles, yellowish birds are females or young males, and pink-red birds are adult males. The wingbars are present at every age, which is the reliable mark.
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