Toop Calls

When crossbills are excited, they give distinctive, loud, barking calls. These important calls are often given in "stimulating" circumstances including the joining of flockmates, antagonistic interactions between birds, and when food-engorged males approach nesting females.

The word "toop" is an onomatopoeic rendition used in Nethersole-Thompson's book on Scottish crossbills.

Description: Many types of crossbills (an exception is Type 1) incorporate harmonic frequencies in toops. The calls may be given in relatively rapid (3-4 per second) series or intermittently.

Important note: Species differences among toops are extensive. However, types 2 and 4 are almost indistinguishable. This is generally not a problem in field identification because the flight calls of these two types are radically different (see the diagnosis page).