A little more reading, and it appears that the situation in the southern Appalachians is relatively simple, with primarily two of the more easily distinguished types here (type 1 and type 2). Type 2 is the most widespread "species" in the lower 48. It is a large, heavy-billed form that prefers pines with relatively stout cones. In Colorado I thought of it as the "Ponderosa Crossbill" since it especially liked ponderosa pine. Its vocalizations all tend to be relatively harsh, hoarse, and hard; the flight call is a little more drawn out than most of the other "species." To my ears, its flight call gives the impression of dropping in pitch, "kyup kyup kyup" instead of just "kip kip kip." Overall for this form, think "big and harsh." Type 1 is a smaller, lighter-billed form that prefers more delicate cones like white pine and hemlock. I'm not very familiar with it in person, but the recordings of its calls indicate that they are significantly "cleaner" than type 2. The flight call sounds clear, short, and level in pitch to my ears in comparison to type 2. Think "small and clear." The possibility of type 3 here also exists; this is the smallest, lightest-billed crossbill in North America, and is a hemlock/spruce/ etc. specialist. Its calls seem to have a thin, squeaky quality: not so harsh as type 2, not clear like type 1. It is also a much smaller and finer-billed bird than type 2, a difference that should be large enough to be useful in the field. Think "small and squeaky." I thought those of you in East TN where crossbills are more often encountered might find this info useful. There is of course no guarantee that the AOU will ever actually split these forms; this split has been discussed for about two decades without actually happening yet. Even if it does happen, the AOU might split them along unanticipated lines. 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 _____________________________________________________________