Anne Elliott's photos with the keyword: IMG_1000089

Unfortunately, this bird has its bill open, so the overlapped ("crossed") bill isn't obvious. It looks very awkward to have an open and lower bill that don't meet together, but this design is for opening Spruce seeds from the cones. The flock of Crossbills that I saw today was in a couple of Spruce trees, working frantically at removing as many seeds in as short a time as possible. This was the first time that I had seen what these birds look like. Wasn't able to get any decent photos (wretched grasses or too high up in the tree!) but I'll post what I do have. I was amazed at how beautifully coloured these birds are. A much more vivid red than the drawing in my bird book!