Scottish Blog

The Southern Crossbil is the only bird which is native to the British Aisles.

The Scottish Crossbil is a passerine bird, or more commonly referred to as a song or perching bird. It can be spotted in the Caledonian forest in mid-Scotland. To the surprise of some observers, the Scottish Crossbil can now often be seen in forestry plantation of exotic trees, namely conifers. They do not migrate with seasons and as such are a unique sight for the Scotland, considered by ornithologists to be something of a national Scottish symbol. In total, the population of the Scottish Crossbil is thought to be under two thousand in number.

The Scottish Crossbil was first classified as its own species of Crossbil in the 1980’s. The status of whether the Scottish Crossbil is a separate species or a sub breed, has been under dispute since then.
In the August of 2006, the Scottish Crossbil was conclusively classified as a separate species of bird, mostly due to its distinct bird call, said to have a certain “Scottish Accent”. The Scottish Crossbil also has a distinct panic and flying pattern than that of other Crossbils.

Typically the Scottish Crossbil is a small bird, both similar in shape and stature to a common sparrow. Although the color of the Scottish Crossbil is more typically brighter. They have a unique intermediate sized beak, which is perfectly shaped to help extract nuts from inside conifers.