Common Crossbill w/ white wing bars (1 Viewer)

[Gladiator96]

This crossbill, seen a few weeks ago in the Spanish Pyrenees, shows narrow white wingbars.

According to Collins, this is a very rare variation. I would like to ask exactly how rare just out of curiosity. Has anyone else observed such birds?

 

[GWB77]

This crossbill, seen a few weeks ago in the Spanish Pyrenees, shows narrow white wingbars.

According to Collins, this is a very rare variation. I would like to ask exactly how rare just out of curiosity. Has anyone else observed such birds?

View attachment 672439

I don't think it is that rare. I have seen some like this in the UK, and I don't live in an area where we see Crossbills that often. These pales edges (rather than white wing bars) are probably more frequent than Collins suggests.

 

[CARERY]

I also think it's pretty regular. I've seen some with more or less distict wingbar myself. For comparison one with fairly weak bar:
https://club300.de/gallery/photo.php?id=35020

and one with really prominent bars even on median coverts (apologies for the pour quality):
https://club300.de/gallery/photo.php?id=65662

 

[Nutcracker]

Ditto to fairly frequent, at least for the narrow, off-white bars as on yours. What's a lot rarer is Common Crossbills with broader, more obviously white bars, though still not extensive enough for Two-barred.

 

[creedence]

Here's another wing-bar Common Crossbill, which a lot of people ticked as a Two-barred.

 

[lou salomon]

wow that's an extreme one!

 

[mark clements]

I saw some in Ordesa NP, in the Pyrenees, in Feb 2017, and wing bars got me to pull out the birdguide. plumped for common in the end, though cannot remember why.
HW

 

[Gladiator96]

Thanks all. So as I suspected, it's not as rare as Collins would lead you to think

 

[Nutcracker]

Here's another wing-bar Common Crossbill, which a lot of people ticked as a Two-barred.

Thanks all. So as I suspected, it's not as rare as Collins would lead you to think

Just to add, it is as rare, IF you consider the statement to refer to birds like Creedence's, rather than yours :t:

 

[Gladiator96]

Well the illustration (in the two-barred crossbill section) is more similar to mine.

If I saw a bird like Creedence's I'd admittedly probably have a heart attack and wouldn't think twice about calling it a two-barred, at least at first.

Incidentally, my new Handbook of WP Birds just arrived and I checked what it states. It gives 5 criteria to separate rubrifasciata Crossbills from Two-barred Crossbills.