Bird Watching or Twitching in Andalucia Southern Spain

May 2006, Crossbill, Loxia curvirostra

An easy one for you this month. The Crossbill lives in conifer forests, of which we have any amount round here. Its bill has evolved with a crossed tip especially for extracting the seeds from cones. Although hard to spot initially, listen for a metallic kip kip sound of the bird in flight and then for the sound of cones hitting the forest floor. You should then see this chap with his mainly red plumage. The females are yellowish green.