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Cassia Crossbill
Loxia sinesciuris
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About the Cassia Crossbill
The Cassia crossbill (Loxia sinesciuris) is a passerine bird in the family Fringillidae. It is endemic to the South Hills and Albion Mountains in southern Idaho. Cassia crossbill rarely interbreeds with other call types that move into the South Hills of Idaho yearly, and can be considered to represent a distinct species via ecological speciation. The Cassia crossbill have specialized beaks to access the seeds of the lodgepole pine cones in this region, but are poorly adapted to other pine cones in surrounding regions. The species was first described in 2009, but only was accepted to be its own species in 2017, when it was found out to be phylogenetically distinct from the red crossbill, and its 10 unique call types.
Source: Wikipedia
Classification
- Scientific name
- Loxia sinesciuris
- Family
- Finches, Euphonias, and Allies
- Order
- Passeriformes
Similar species
Other members of the finches, euphonias, and allies family recorded in North America — a useful place to start if you are not certain of your identification.
- Akekee Loxops caeruleirostris
- Akiapolaau Hemignathus wilsoni
- Akikiki Oreomystis bairdi
- Akohekohe Palmeria dolei
- American Goldfinch Spinus tristis
- Anianiau Magumma parva
- Apapane Himatione sanguinea
- Asian Rosy-Finch Leucosticte arctoa
- Black Rosy-Finch Leucosticte atrata
- Black Siskin Spinus atratus
- Black-capped Siskin Spinus atriceps
- Black-headed Siskin Spinus notatus
Know when the Cassia Crossbill turns up near you
How rare bird alerts work →Gear for spotting Cassia Crossbill
Optics
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Cameras
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