(WBBM NEWSRADIO) -- A rare bird has been passing through the Chicago area.
It’s called the Red Crossbill, and the type of finch is known for its distinctive beak, which is crossed at the tips. This enables them to extract seeds.
“The Red Crossbills are looking for particular kinds of cones from conifers, from different kinds of pine trees and larch and things like that. So, they’re very nomadic to begin with. Unusual to see them this far south,” John Legge, Chicago director for The Nature Conservancy, said Monday along the lakefront.
Normally, they’re seen in northern Wisconsin or the Upper Peninsula in Michigan, he said.
While Legge said there is no cause for concern that the Red Crossbill took a different path this winter, he adds that birds are something to watch when it comes to climate change.
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