Red Crossbill Request for Information

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Aug 22, 2025, 3:42:59 PMAug 22

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Hi all,

I’m writing to follow up on my previous requests for observations of eastern red crossbills feeding on conifers. Late summer-early fall is a great time to look for crossbills, as conifer cone crops are mature and food availability for crossbills is at an all time high.

As a reminder, I’m looking for recordings of crossbill calls from the eastern US/Great Lakes with information on the conifers the birds are feeding on. The recordings do not have to be made with any advanced equipment – phone recordings are often sufficient. Pictures of the conifer cones the birds are feeding on are most helpful. However, if you are comfortable with conifer identification, notes on which conifers birds are feeding on are also valuable.

Based on contributions from several folks across the eastern US, I’ve accumulated nearly 1,000 records of eastern red crossbills and the conifers they’re feeding on. If you’re interested, I’ve posted a little blurb on my website (https://www.ckporterlab.com/community-science) illustrating and describing the preliminary data for type 12, the crossbill I have the most data for and am most interested in for this project.

Although there are some intriguing patterns in the data so far, describing the feeding ecology of type 12 and other eastern call types will require much more data across many seasons and years. So, if you have crossbills in your area, please consider uploading recordings and conifer information to eBird. I’ve also created an iNaturalist project (link below) where observations can be uploaded. If you don’t use eBird or iNaturalist, please feel free to send me any observations directly.

Thanks a ton for considering my request. Please feel free to reach out with any questions! Also, please pass this onto anyone you think might be interested in participating.

Good birding,

Dr. Cody Porter
Holland, MI

iNaturalist project link: https://www.inaturalist.org/projects/feeding-ecology-of-eastern-red-crossbills