Appearance:

Plumage like other crossbills; male red, female and juveniles green. Both sexes and all ages with two broad, white wing-bars, which distinguishes it from congeners. Nonetheless, the species is easily overlooked when in mixed flocks with other crossbills. Build slightly more slender and long-tailed than other crossbills. Often discovered through its contact call.

Sound:

Contact call a "chep chep" similar to crossbill but softer, interspersed with characteristic, toy-trumpet call with redpoll-like timbre, but with a more flat intonation. Song more like redpoll than a crossbill, with rattling and chittering notes.

Calls:

Distribution:

Wikipedia: map (se also Xeno-canto below)

Ecology:

Birdlife ecology

Links:

Observation.org Latest observations

Video IBC

Image search Flickr NB! May give other species

Sound search at Xeno-canto

Featherbase

CC

Sounds: Recorded by Patrick Åberg,http://www.xeno-canto.org/ ,CC license

Appearance:

Rufous red face, throat and chest, framed in slate grey in adults of both sexes. Olive brown to grey upperparts and dull white underparts. Head rather large, and body rather stocky when plumage puffed, despite thin bill and slender legs. Juveniles lack the red front and are heavily spotted in buff on a dark brown body with barred chest. Adults pretty unmistakable when seen well. Flight usually low and darting, with quick changes of directions before disappearing in thick bushes. Posture usually erect with frequent flicking of tail and wings.

Sound:

Alarm call a thin, electric "tick", often in series with decelerating tempo. Song medium to very high pitched, with mostly clear tones with a liquid quality. Timbre reminiscent of Wren or Dunnock, but with a much more varied structure and tempo. Pitch ranges from very high to low, almost thrush-like, notes. No recognizable motifs. Often ends on a rising or falling pitch, giving it a "Chinese" accent.

Song:

Distribution:

Wikipedia: map (se also Xeno-canto below)

Ecology:

Birdlife ecology

Links:

Observation.org Latest observations

Video IBC

Image search Flickr NB! May give other species

Sound search at Xeno-canto

Featherbase

CC