The Two-barred Crossbill (Loxia leucoptera) is the slenderest and smallest of Sweden's three crossbill species, and by far the easiest to identify thanks to two broad, pure white bars across an otherwise dark wing — a mark shown by no other Swedish crossbill. It measures 14–16 cm in length, has a wingspan of 24–27 cm and weighs 26–35 grams. The male is a clear red to pink, the female grey-green to yellow-green, and both sexes carry the crossed bill typical of the genus, an adaptation for prying seed scales apart inside a cone. In flight, flocks give a ringing, light "tjiff-tjiff" call, noticeably lighter and drier than the stronger "kipp-kipp" of the Common Crossbill, a useful clue at a distance even before the wing bars are visible.
This species is tied closely to larch, whose softer cones suit its slender bill particularly well; it also takes seeds from spruce and pine cones, and feeds insects to its young during the breeding season. It breeds in the coniferous forests of northern Sweden, concentrated in areas with plenty of larch, where the population — estimated at 1,000–10,000 pairs — fluctuates enormously from year to year depending on the seed crop. Like other crossbills it is a pronounced nomad, and because breeding is governed by food supply rather than the calendar, it can nest remarkably early, sometimes in the depths of winter, if the seed stock is abundant; the nest is placed high in a conifer, and the female lays three or four eggs and incubates them alone while the male brings food. In years when larch seed production fails further north and east, flocks can irrupt far south into Sweden, turning up well outside their usual range and becoming a prized find for visiting birders.
Read about this species in Swedish →