KJIPUKTUK (Halifax) - I’ve always been impressed by birdwatchers and their talent for distinguishing between species of avian, picking up on the subtle differences which are lost on most people. When it comes to the red crossbill, however, even the amateurs have their day.

The red crossbill is aptly named, at least in part. There are several different subspecies of these cute finches scattered across North America, each sporting slightly different plumage, sizes and songs, but they all have a peculiarly shaped beak which actually misaligns at the very end, as though someone were crossing their fingers whilst telling a lie.

The “red” part of their name can be somewhat misleading, as their plumage changes based on gender, with females often carrying olive grey or yellow feathers rather than red.

Of all these subspecies, one is native to Newfoundland, often called the Percna subspecies. They’re larger that their mainland counterparts, with stouter beaks, darker feathers and unique songs.

Crossbills are fascinating because they don’t migrate in your traditional sense, not necessarily flying south to escape the winter cold like their birdy brethren. Instead they’re nomadic, following the food whenever the need arises and breeding when it suits them, even through winter if the mood strikes.

These birds are perfectly adapted to their preferred source of food – the seeds of conifer trees and shrubs, such as cedar, spruce and pine which all shield their seeds inside protective cones. Getting into these cones is where the crossed bills come in handy. In fact this bird’s prosperity is so closely tied to these conifer seeds, the decline of one was resulted in the decline of the other.

We haven’t the first clue how many crossbills used to inhabit the boreal forests of Newfoundland, their preferred habitat, but we have reason to believe they were once abundant. In the last fifty years, quite suddenly in ecological terms, their population began to plummet. Our best guess at their modern population puts it from 500-1,500, which is an optimistic way of saying it ranges from somewhere in the hundreds to the low thousands…maybe.

We suspect the destruction of boreal forest on Newfoundland is having a negative impact, as well as competition for conifer seeds with red squirrels, an invasive species which may also be raiding crossbill nests.

This population of crossbills was added to the endangered species list in May of 2004. This entitled the crossbill to numerous protections under both federal and provincial laws, such as the federal Species at Risk Act, the federal Migratory Bird Conservation Act and the provincial Endangered Species Act. Unfortunately, the effectiveness of these acts is limited by our ignorance.

To give you an idea just how little we know about the Newfoundland red crossbills, consider that we haven’t seen one of their nests since 1977. The lack of information surrounding their population, distribution and reproductive success makes it difficult to take steps toward their recovery and instill meaningful protections. Our ignorance has made it impossible to identify and protect this species’ critical habitat. Oh what I wouldn’t give to arm a legion of scientists with high-resolution cameras and set them loose on the forests of Newfoundland.

At present, there are protected regions of Newfoundland which are believed to hold suitable habitat for these birds and I sincerely hope this will allow for their survival, giving us time to build a better understanding of how we might save these struggling crossbills.