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Tom Grey | all galleries >> North American Birds by Type >> Songbirds >> Finches >> Crossbills > Red Crossbill, first winter male (?)
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23-NOV-2007 Tom Grey

Red Crossbill, first winter male (?)

Skylawn Cemetery

According to Clement, Finches and Sparrows, first winter males vary substantially in mixture of yellow and red; I'm guessing this is one on the reddish side. The tail feathers appear to have abraded tips, which (thanks to Ron Thorn for this point) is a sign of a first-cycle bird. (The molt from juvenal to first basic is partial, not including the rectrices, whereas adults have a full molt to definitive basic.)

Canon EOS 30D ,Canon EF 500mm f/4L IS USM
1/1000s f/8.0 at 700.0mm iso400 full exif

other sizes: small medium original auto
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