Cedar Waxwing

Bombycilla cedrorum 
Waxwing family (Bombycillidae)

Small, 5 ¼” long. Sleek crest on head. Overall gray brown plumage, black face mask edged with white, pale yellow belly feathers, variable numbers of red waxlike droplets on tips of secondary wing feathers.

Habitat:
Open forests.

Nesting:
Nests in dense juniper thickets or in other trees or shrubs. Feeds on a large variety of wild fruits and berries. Nests later in the summer than other birds, probably because of its reliance on summer-ripening fruits. Eggs are pale with dark marks. Clutch size – 4 eggs.

Voice:

Call is a series of buzzy or trilled high-pitched notes.  Often heard calling in flocks.

Name Origin:

Bombycilla:  bombyx, Greek or Latin for “silk”; cilla, Modern Latin for “tail”; cedrorum, Latin for “of the cedars”.  “Waxwing” for the bright red coloring of the bare shafts of the tips of their wing feathers, looks like sealing wax.

In the Nature Park:
Year-round resident. Cedar Waxwings usually occur in large foraging flocks.

Photos: