For those who are curious to learn more, the most accessible resource I have found is: http://research.amnh.org/ornithology/crossbills/contents.html It hasn't been updated in a while, but I found it useful. Briefly, in the southeast, this site suggests we likely have: Type 1: Small. Associated with white pine and hemlock. Type 2: Large. Heavy-coned pines -- pitch, table mountain, possibly loblolly etc. Type 3 (possibly): Smallest. Hemlock, spruce. I found in trying to distinguish types 2, 4, and 5 in Colorado that a combination of vocalizations, size (especially the heaviness of the bill), and habitat worked reasonably well. They did seem to approximately sort out into ponderosa pine, douglas fir, and lodgepole pine associates, but were not rigorously restricted to just the one "favorite" conifer species especially in mixed forest. Bill Pulliam Hohenwald TN =================NOTES TO SUBSCRIBER===================== The TN-Bird Net requires you to SIGN YOUR MESSAGE with first and last name, CITY (TOWN) and state abbreviation. You are also required to list the COUNTY in which the birds you report were seen. The actual DATE OF OBSERVATION should appear in the first paragraph. _____________________________________________________________ To post to this mailing list, simply send email to: tn-bird@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx _____________________________________________________________ To unsubscribe, send email to: tn-bird-request@xxxxxxxxxxxxx with 'unsubscribe' in the Subject field. ______________________________________________________________ TN-Bird Net is owned by the Tennessee Ornithological Society Neither the society(TOS) nor its moderator(s) endorse the views or opinions expressed by the members of this discussion group. Moderator: Wallace Coffey, Bristol, TN wallace@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx ------------------------------ Assistant Moderator Andy Jones Cleveland, OH ------------------------------- Assistant Moderator Dave Worley Rosedale, VA __________________________________________________________ Visit the Tennessee Ornithological Society web site at http://www.tnbirds.org * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * ARCHIVES TN-Bird Net Archives at //www.freelists.org/archives/tn-bird/ EXCELLENT MAP RESOURCES Topographical Maps located at http://topozone.com/find.asp Tenn.Counties Map at http://www.lib.utexas.edu/maps/states/tennessee3.gif Aerial photos to complement google maps http://local.live.com _____________________________________________________________