A Crossbill in the Borders - Official Words...
I've had an email from Darren Oakley-Martin, a Wildlife advisor at the RSPB. He says.
The three species of crossbill found in the UK are incredibly variable and most can only reliably be identified by call. The stoutest-billed commons, for instance, can resemble the slimmest-billed Scottish crossbills, which in turn can resemble parrot crossbills! I for one would not be happy to claim a Scottish crossbill without hearing the call!
So it may not have been a crossbill! In any event it was very red, and very pretty!
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It was a crossbill. The only doubt is the variety. Their confidence around humans was charming. Gave us time to go in the house and get 2 different books to compare the pictures. The red coated cock was coolly dressed with his 3 or 4 attendant females greenish yellow.
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