The Two-barred Crossbill uses its crossed bill to open conifer cones and take their seeds.
The Eurasian form is larger than the North American form, with a larger bill and less black in its plumage.
Two-barred Crossbills are northern finches that feed mainly on larch seeds. In Norway, a large irruption ran from July 2019 through June 2020, with about 7,000 individuals reported from observation records. Birds were recorded at lower elevations before breeding and tended to move higher during the February–June breeding season.
In breeding-season surveys near Oslo, the species was recorded more often at sites above 500 metres, and its occurrence was associated with numbers of Common Redpolls. The observations show how the birds' locations changed with season and elevation during the Norwegian irruption.
An extinction-risk assessment has not been added yet.
About 7,000 Two-barred Crossbills were reported during the 2019–2020 Norway irruption. In local breeding-season surveys, records were more common above 500 metres and were associated with Common Redpoll numbers.