noun
any bird belonging to the genus Loxia, of the finch family, characterized by mandibles curved so that the tips cross each other when the bill is closed.
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Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
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Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
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Link To crossbill
Collins
World English Dictionary
crossbill (ˈkrɒsˌbɪl) ![[Click for IPA pronunciation guide]](http://static.sfdict.com/dictstatic/g/d/dictionary_questionbutton_default.gif) | |
| —n | |
| any of various widely distributed finches of the genus Loxia, such as L. curvirostra, that occur in coniferous woods and have a bill with crossed mandible tips for feeding on conifer seeds | |
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
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2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
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00:10
Crossbill
is always a great word to know.
So is quincunx. Does it mean:
| an arrangement of five objects, as trees, in a square or rectangle, one at each corner and one in the middle. |
| a scrap or morsel of food left at a meal. |
Encyclopedia Britannica
Encyclopedia
crossbill
any of the three birds of the genus Loxia, noted for their crossed mandibles, with which they pry open conifer cones to get at the seeds. Crossbills are in the family Carduelidae, sometimes considered a subfamily of the Fringillidae (order Passeriformes). The red crossbill (L. curvirostra) and the white-winged, or two-barred, crossbill (L. leucoptera) occur throughout the colder regions of the Northern Hemisphere, and each has a small population isolated in the New World tropics. The parrot crossbill (L. pytyopsittacus) of northern Eurasia has a larger bill.
Learn more about crossbill with a free trial on Britannica.com.
Encyclopedia Britannica, 2008. Encyclopedia Britannica Online.
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