Scottish Crossbill

Seen one? Add it to your free UK BirdedexHear its song and see the mapFree, no app download. Epic bird: +20 points when you log it.

Scottish Crossbill in the UK

A scarce resident and the UK's only endemic bird species: it breeds nowhere else in the world. The first full survey, in 2008, estimated 6,800 pairs. There is no reliable earlier figure, so the trend is unknown. The range covers Nairn, Moray, Banff, lower Deeside, Sutherland, Easter Ross and eastern Inverness-shire. It is Amber-listed and specially protected at the nest. Its status as a species has long been argued over, and it is defined mainly by bill size and a distinct call.

Where and when to see a Scottish Crossbill

Scots pine woods and mature conifer plantations in the Highlands and north-east Scotland, all year. The RSPB points visitors to Loch Garten in Abernethy Forest and to Corrimony, near Inverness. Late winter and spring are best, when birds sing from treetops and breed early. Listen for flight calls overhead, scan pine crowns for feeding parties and falling cone scales, and watch puddles on forest tracks, where crossbills come down to drink. Mornings are most productive.

Habitat, diet and field notes

Habitat: Caledonian pine forest.
Diet: Pine seeds.
Field note: UK's only endemic bird species.

How to identify a Scottish Crossbill

A chunky, big-headed finch, larger than a Greenfinch, with a forked tail and a heavy bill whose tips cross. Males are brick-red, females olive-green with a yellower rump, and juveniles are grey-brown and streaked. The bill is deeper than a Common Crossbill's and less massive than a Parrot Crossbill's, but the three overlap and all occur in the same forests. It cannot be named safely on looks. A sound recording, checked as a sonogram, is the accepted proof. Without one, the fair entry in your notebook is 'crossbill species'.

Call and song

The flight call is a 'chup, chup', a little deeper than Common Crossbill's 'glip' and less deep than Parrot's 'toop'. The differences are slight to the ear. Identification rests on a recording of the excitement call. Heard something you cannot place? Bird Hear identifies UK birds from a 10 second recording, free in your browser.

Confusion species

• Common Crossbill: Common Crossbill has a slimmer bill and a higher 'glip' call, but only a sound recording separates them for certain.
• Parrot Crossbill: Parrot Crossbill has a very deep, bulging bill, a thick neck and a deeper 'toop' call.

Related guide Rare birds in the UK.

Conservation status and Birdedex points

In the Birdedex the Scottish Crossbill is an Epic tier bird, worth +20 points when you log one. It is Amber-listed in Birds of Conservation Concern 5, the middle level of concern in the UK. It is protected under Schedule 1 of the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981, so it is an offence to disturb it at or near the nest. We blur the location of every sighting of this species.

Where to see it

Reserves where the Scottish Crossbill is on the list:

• RSPB Loch Garten

Recent UK sightings

Similar birds

• Parrot CrossbillRare · Pine forest (very rare)
• Two-barred CrossbillRare · Northern larch forest
• Common CrossbillUncommon · Conifer plantations
• Crested TitUncommon · Caledonian pine forest
• Black WoodpeckerEpic · Old beech and pine forest
• CapercaillieRare · Scottish pine forest

Scottish Crossbill: quick answers

Where can I see a Scottish Crossbill in the UK?

Only in northern Scotland. The old pinewoods of Strathspey and the forests of Moray, Nairn and Deeside are the core. You will see crossbills at these sites on most visits, but putting a name to them is the hard part.

What is the difference between Scottish Crossbill and Common Crossbill?

Bill depth and call. Scottish averages a deeper, blunter bill, suited to opening Scots pine cones, and gives a slightly lower call. Neither difference is reliable by eye or ear in the field, so researchers use recordings.

Is the Scottish Crossbill rare in the UK?

It is scarce and very local: about 6,800 pairs, all in one part of Scotland. That makes its whole world population small. Its future depends on the area and health of Scottish pine forest.

Kit that helps

Bird ID starter kit. Affiliate links, our own picks, no extra cost to you.