365Caws is now in its 14th year of publication, and was originally intended to end after 365 days. It has sometimes been difficult for me to find new material, particularly during the winter months, but now as I enter my own twilight years, I cannot guarantee that I will be able to provide daily posts. It is my hope that along the way I may have inspired someone to a greater curiosity about the natural world. If so, I can rest, content in the knowledge that my work here has been done.
Wednesday, April 2, 2014
Red Crossbill, Loxia Curvirostra
Day 182: It's easy to see how the Crossbill got its name, at least until you qualify it by putting "Red" in front of it. Male Red Crossbills (Loxia curvirostra) don't develop their full color until they're at least a year old. Young males could better be described as orange. The female of the species is a drab green, and young birds are marked with brownish flecks on the breast and sides. The Crossbill's unusual beak permits the bird to pry apart the cones of Douglas fir and other evergreens, the seeds of which are the staple of its diet in the Pacific Northwest. This fellow missed the memo. He was hard at work on the steps of the National Park Inn at Longmire!
Labels:
Longmire,
Loxia curvirostra,
National Park Inn,
Red Crossbill
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