Scientific name: Loxia leucoptera J. F. Gmelin, 1789
Bird group: Finches and Crossbills
Field characters. 15 cm. Generally smaller than Common Crossbill, with relatively weaker bill, smaller head, longer tail and diagnostic broad white double wingbar and white tips to tertials. Wingbar in juveniles distinctly narrower than in adults.
Voice. Calls like Common Crossbill, but higher-pitched, drier, and less metallic; typical is a toy trumpet-like "ehp". Sings more musically than Crossbill.
Distribution. Siberia, irregularly N Scandinavia. Invasions may reach central Europe.
Habitat. Coniferous forest, larch plantations.
Food. Prefers larch seeds, but also eats seeds of other conifers, buds of trees, and berries.