The overall distribution of this species can be assessed, and
specific locations where birds have been spotted can be found,
based on individual sighting reports submitted by birdwatchers to
ebird.org
.
The global distribution of the Common Crossbill is available
HERE
.
Common Crossbills are found on all continents of the northern
hemisphere and on Iceland. There are many different races that
can compiled into two groups, for Eurasia and North America
(for details see, e.g. Wikipedia
).
Their preference for boreal/conifer forest/taiga leads to a
distribution with preference for mid- to high-altitude
environments, such as low and high mountain ranges (up to
the tree line) and plateaus.
Their distribution ranges over the width of Eurasia, from
western Europe in the West via Asia Minor and mid- to high-latitude
Asia to Japan in the East. They are also found
over the entire width of the North American continent, from
Newfoundland to southern Alaska and down to central Mexico
as well.
Over their range Common Crossbills are mostly sedentary, but
there can be irruptive events in case of food shortages in
their preferred habitats.
In Europe Common Crossbills are found in the mountainous regions
of primarily eastern Spain, including the Pyrenees, the Alps, the
Apennin mountains in Italy and the highlands of central, eastern
and south-eastern Europe, including the Balkans and parts of
Greece. They are also found in Scandinavia, except the northern-most
parts and the highest-altitude peaks in southern Norway, and in
the taiga of eastern Europe, up to and beyond the Urals and the
Caucasus mountains.
Common Crossbills have a strong preference for conifer forest
and woodland, of various types of spruce, but also fir and
pines, high up in which they also nest.