The red crossbill or common crossbill (Loxia curvirostra) is a small passerine bird in the finch family Fringillidae. Crossbills have distinctive mandibles, crossed at the tips, which enable them to extract seeds from conifer cones and other fruits.
Red crossbill
![Red crossbills, male](https://npr.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/5ef6473/2147483647/strip/true/crop/1440x960+0+0/resize/880x587!/quality/90/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2F95%2Fcc%2Fd23e5c134735b0c492caba0dc56f%2Fred-crossbills-male.jpg)
Elaine R. Wilson
/
www.naturespicsonline.com via Wikimedia Commons