Wikipedia:POTD row/September 25, 2006
.jpg)
|
Two male Common Crossbills (Loxia curvirostra), small passerine birds in the finch family. The crossbill is characterised by mandibles that cross at their tips, lending the group its English name. They feed on conifer cone seeds, particularly of spruce, Douglas fir, and pine. The unusual bill shape is an adaptation to help extract the seeds from the cone. Photo credit: Elaine R. Wilson |