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Crossbills are boreal-zone finches that specialize in using their bizarre 'crossed' bills to extract seeds from cones. Several species occur in Europe; North America has two (although one of them, the red crossbill, may be several separate species). These birds were photographed in spring near Bialowieza, Poland. They were spending many minutes each morning on a stone wall at Bialowieza National Park headquarters, probably trying to obtain minerals or salts (note the image of a bird with its tongue extended). Most of these (with reddish coloration) are adult or young males; females are greenish. |
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