Warble UK
Crossbill
Photo: Elaine R. Wilson, www.naturespicsonline.com / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0

Birds / Finches

Crossbill

Loxia curvirostra

Also known as Common crossbill and Red crossbill

Tricky All year Woodland
Test yourself

Recording: Ruud van Beusekom / xeno-canto

Sounds like

Loud, hard 'jip-jip-jip' calls from small flocks flying over conifers. The song mixes these calls with twittering trills.

Remember it

Listen for 'jip-jip' overhead in pine forests. Usually heard before it is seen.

When and where

Listening for the crossbill

Heard
JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
All year round
Time of day
Day
Where
Woodland
In Britain
All year
Family
Finches

Side by side

Often confused with

Play them one after the other and listen for the difference.

Crossbill

Crossbill

Loxia curvirostra
JFMAMJJASOND

Listen for 'jip-jip' overhead in pine forests. Usually heard before it is seen.

Greenfinch

Greenfinch

Chloris chloris
JFMAMJJASOND

A drawn-out nasal wheeze, like a sigh through the nose.

Could you pick out a crossbill?

Hear a song, choose from four birds, and build your streak.

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Same habitat

Also in woodland

See all
Blackbird

Blackbird

Turdus merula
JFMAMJJASOND

Slow, rich, fluting phrases that wander about and often trail off into a quiet chuckle.

Blue Tit

Blue Tit

Cyanistes caeruleus
JFMAMJJASOND

Two or three thin, high notes followed by a fast, shimmering trill: 'tsee-tsee-tsuhuhuhu'.

Chaffinch

Chaffinch

Fringilla coelebs
JFMAMJJASOND

A cheerful, accelerating run of notes that tumbles down and ends in a flourish, repeated over and over.

Coal Tit

Coal Tit

Periparus ater
JFMAMJJASOND

A fast, high, two-note phrase repeated several times: 'pitchoo-pitchoo-pitchoo'.