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Confirmation of Breeding Red Crossbills in the Mountains of North Carolina with Notes on Nesting Behavior

Although there is considerable evidence for Red Crossbills (Loxia curvirostra) breeding in the southern Appalachian Mountains and in North Carolina (Johnston 1963, Simpson 1974, Swindell 1974, Sykes 1974, Carter 1976, Phillips 1979), no one has reported finding an active nest with eggs or nestlings. Consequently, little has been recorded on the breeding biology of the species in this region. On 5 September 1981, Joe Williams and I discovered a female Red Crossbill building a nest in a White Pine (Pinus strobus) at the edge of a gravel parking lot off of Plemmons Drive on the Appalachian State University campus in Boone, Watauga County, N.C. The altitude at this site is approximately 1006 m. About 23 m in height with a d.b.h. of 62 cm, the nest tree is part of a large, fairly uniform stand of White Pines that cover an area of roughly 3 ha. These pines, like many others throughout the county, were heavily covered with cones in September 1981. The nest was placed in the fork of a branch 3.5 m from the main trunk and 19 m from the ground. Although visible from below, the nest was partially concealed from above by small pine boughs. Because the limb pointed south and extended over the parking lot, it received sunlight during most of the daylight hours. On 5 September between 1700 and 1900, the female made 10 trips to the nest with building material. She collected epiphytic mosses, Tulip Poplar bark fibers, and unidentified materials, using her bill, feet, and body to construct the inner