Crossbill Measurements

This table contains mean measurements of adults for the 7 predominant North American red crossbill species. Female means are in parentheses.

type      mass (gm)   bill length (mm)  wing length (mm)
  1      30.5 (29.0)     14.5 (14.2)      89.4 (86.5)        
  2      33.9 (32.9)     16.2 (15.7)      93.8 (90.6)     
  3      27.3 (26.5)     12.7 (12.8)      85.9 (82.4)
  4      30.7 (28.6)     14.6 (14.3)      90.9 (86.8)
  5      33.3 (32.9)     15.5 (15.3)      95.4 (92.0)                
  6      41.5 (39.4)     17.1 (16.8)      98.4 (97.2)
  7*     31.6 ( -- )     14.8 ( -- )      93.2 ( -- )
*one female known     

For more detailed information, including sample sizes and variances, for these and 32 other morphometric measurements, see the monograph.

Note: although search for specific identity of wild-caught individuals (or museum specimens) may be narrowed considerably with a few measurements, there is no substitute for recordings of calls in reliable diagnosis of species membership.