Description:

Medium-large finch with large head, plump body and dark bill with crossed mandibles. Male is rusty-red, with darker wings and tail. Female is olive-green, with brighter greenish-yellow rump, and with dark wings and tail. Juvenile is buffish and boldly streaked on upperparts and underparts; mandibles are not initially crossed.

Distribution:

Uncommon and erratic summer visitor to parts of Gilgit, Nagar and Ghizer districts. Inhabits coniferous forest with pine and spruce usually around 2000m to 3500m, on passage also occurs in pine and deciduous trees.

Behavior:

Forages actively, perching on or hanging upside-down from cones (both green and ripe) to extract seeds; clambers among thin branches, using bill to grab branches or cones. Diet mainly seeds, buds and shoots of trees and plants; also some insects and larvae, and other invertebrates. Seeds and buds include those of juniper, hemlock, fir, pine and spruce.

Photo Gallery:

Range & Occurrence:

Resident Species

Summer Breeder

Winter Visitor

Passage Migrant

Distribution Map of Red Crossbill in Gilgit-Baltistan (Status: )

Seasonal Occurrence of Red Crossbill

Resources:

Birds of Pakistan: Helm Field Guides (R. Grimmett & T. Inskipp)
The Birds of Pakistan (T. J. Roberts)
Birds of the Indian Subcontinent (C. Inskipp, R. Grimmett & T. Inskipp)
Birds of South Asia: The Ripley Guide (P. Rasmussen & J. Anderton)
Birds of India: Collins Field Guide (N. Arlott)
Handbook of the Birds of India and Pakistan (S. Ali & S. D. Ripley)
Handbook of the Birds of the World (https://www.hbw.com)
The Clements Checklist of Birds of the World, 6th Edition
iNaturalist BoGB (inaturalist.org/projects/birds-of-gilgit-baltistan)
Birds of Gilgit-Baltistan (http://fb.me/birdsgb)

*Gallery images on this page are shared from flickr.com, and are copyrighted to their respective creators or owners.