Isuka (red crossbill) - Isuka (English spelling) red crossbill

Japanese: イスカ(交喙) - イスカ（英語表記）red crossbill

A bird of the family Fringillidae (illustration) in the order Passeriformes. It is slightly larger than a sparrow, with a total length of about 17 cm. Sexes are different, with males being orange-red overall and females yellow-green. The tip of its beak is sharply pointed and curved into a hook shape, and the tips of the upper and lower beaks cross and misalign, which is where the name Isuka comes from. This also leads to the expression "the misalignment of the Isuka's beak" when things do not fit together properly. This unique shape is an adaptation for extracting seeds from immature pine cones, and it closes its beak to pry open the scales.

Source: Heibonsha World Encyclopedia, 2nd Edition Information

Japanese:

スズメ目アトリ科の鳥（イラスト）。スズメより少し大きく，全長約17cm。雌雄異色で，雄は全体に橙赤色，雌は黄緑色。くちばしの先が鋭くとがってかぎ形に曲がり，上下のくちばしの先が交差して，食い違っており，イスカの名はこれに由来する。またここから，ものごとがうまくかみ合わないことを〈イスカの嘴（はし）の食違い〉という。この独特な形はマツの未熟な球果から種子をとり出すための適応で，くちばしを閉じることによって鱗片をこじあける。

出典　株式会社平凡社世界大百科事典第２版について　情報

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