In the spotlight Crossbill (Loxia curvirostra)

In most respects, it looks like a rosy- or olivecoloured finch (the rufous plumage belonging to the males of the species), but the crossbill’s beak, hooked into overlapping tongs, is unique. Combined with powerful jaw muscles, it enables Loxia curvirostra’s expert prising open of tightly closed pine-cone scales. The bird’s tongue then flicks down inside to extract the hidden seed. Because the trees hold their cones at different stages of development, in a conifer forest, there’s always food available; the hardy little crossbills can, therefore, raise their young as winter rages, without fear of an empty larder.

Winter often sees peripatetic resident gangs joined by Continental visitors, which may include the stockier parrot crossbill (Loxia pytyopsittacus). Although pines and larches are traditional fare, plantation conifers such as Douglas firs and sitka spruces have enabled crossbills to flourish. Legend has it that the sociable birds, the wide distribution of which includes the Levant, acquired their crossed-over bill when attempting to pull the nails out of Christ’s hands and feet on the Cross.