Cedar Waxwing
Bombycilla cedrorum
Order: Passeriformes
Family: Bombycillidae
Conservation Status: Least Concern
Appearance
A medium-sized bird with a short neck and a short, wide bill. A large head featuring a crest that usually lies flat and
hangs over the back. Coloration is pale brown on the head and chest fading to a soft gray on the wings with a pale yellow
belly. The short, gray tail is square and bright yellow on the tip. The face features a black mask outlined in white and the
wings are broad and pointed with waxy red tips on the secondary wing feathers.
Habitat
Cedar waxwings can be found in woodlands, farms, orchards
and gardens where there are fruiting trees or shrubs.
Interesting Facts
The name waxwing comes from the waxy red secretions
found on the tips of the secondary wing feathers.
Brown-headed cowbirds raised in cedar waxwing nests
have a low survival rate because of the waxwing’s mainly
fruit diet.
Unlike other fruit-eating birds, the cedar
waxwing does not separate and regurgitate the
seed from the fruit when eating.
The oldest known cedar waxwing was
eight years, two months old.
Some cedar waxwings have orange
colored tail tips. This variation
happens when the young
bird eats large amounts of
a specialized honeysuckle
berry.
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