Within the last hour, there was a bird on the platform feeder that I first assumed was part of the resident flock of House Finches. The breast striping looked a little different, more like a Purple Finch, but nothing else looked like a P. Finch. The bird ate voraciously and was very aggressive, chasing finches and titmice away. A closer look at its bill showed it to be skewed with the lower mandible to the left of the upper. I am not familiar with crossbills so I checked in Sibley. ( I opened right to the page showing Red Crossbill. That seemed like a good omen. I tried not to let that sway my judgment.) The juvenile Red Crossbill looks much like a H. Finch. I have three questions. First, does anyone know of H. Finches with deformed bills? Second, what is the likelihood of a Red Crossbill coming to a feeder at this time of year? Third, what else should I have looked at to confirm my ID?
Bill McAneny, TBurg (off Rte 89) -- Cayugabirds-L List Info: http://www.NortheastBirding.com/CayugabirdsWELCOME http://www.NortheastBirding.com/CayugabirdsRULES http://www.NortheastBirding.com/CayugabirdsSubscribeConfigurationLeave.htm ARCHIVES: 1) http://www.mail-archive.com/cayugabirds-l@cornell.edu/maillist.html 2) http://www.surfbirds.com/birdingmail/Group/Cayugabirds 3) http://birdingonthe.net/mailinglists/CAYU.html Please submit your observations to eBird: http://ebird.org/content/ebird/ --
