[kraws-bil, kros-] 
| 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. |
| cross·bill (krôs'bĭl', krŏs'-) n. Any of various finches of the genus Loxia, having curved mandibles with narrow tips that cross when the bill is closed. |
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.
