Wax On Cedar Waxwing

Look for Cedar Waxwing plucking berries from bushes

We just had a small flock of Cedar Waxwings come to our backyard this morning which triggered me to write about this beautiful bird. While it’s not common to see them at your backyard feeders, they can be seen around your yard.

They have striking plumage which will be the first thing you’ll notice and very unique and easily differentiated from other birds. They are slightly smaller than a Cardinal and more slender. They are also somewhat similar in that they have a crest, which is often laid back and droops over the head instead of upright like on a Cardinal. The most easily distinguished marking is the black mask with a white outline around their eyes. I think it makes them look like bandits. Don’t bother trying to tell the male from the female in a flock, because they are indistinguishable. Cedar Waxwings are pale brown on the head and chest with a paleyellow belly. The feathers are gray with darker ends. The two most distinct feather colorations are the bright yellow tips of the tail feathers and a red tip on the secondary wing feathers which are actual waxy secretions. This red tip looks like they’ve been dipped in wax and thus part of their namesake of a waxwing. These red tips can be difficult to see.

Cedar Waxwings are very social and tend to be in flocks. You’ll see them among fruit and berry producing bushes and trees. Some of their favorites include serviceberries, mulberry, dogwood, honeysuckle, juniper, madrone, raspberries, strawberries, and crabapple to name a few. The other favorite are cedar berries, and as you’ve probably guessed, where the first part of their name is derived from. Wooded areas, orchards, and yards with these trees and bushes are likely places to spot a flock. They can be seen in great numbers in our area in late May. While a predominant portion of their diet is fruit, they also supplement with insects as well. Accordingly, they can be sighted near water sources where insect populations are larger. One odd byproduct of their heavy fruit diet when they eat overly ripe fruit is they can become drunk from the sugars which have fermented into alcohol.

As another demonstration of coevolution between plants and birds and their codependency, the nesting cycle of Cedar Waxwings are determined by when their fruits are ripening. Thus, they tend to be late nesters starting in the later part of June and continuing into August to ensure an adequate food source for both parents and newborns. They build their cup style nests anywhere from three to 50 feet above the ground in the crux between limbs on trees. The female usually does most of the nest building which can take from five to six days and sometimes more than 2,500 trips to gather building materials. If the pair has a second brood, the male might help build the second nest.

While I don’t have any scientific proof, I have often seen flocks of Cedar Waxwings and Red-breasted Grosbeaks flying together. So when I see one, I also look for the other. Maybe this holds true or maybe not, but it is certainly worth a couple of extra minutes to scan the horizon for the other bird if you see one.

Since Cedar Waxwings rarely visit feeders, I hope you’ll soon have the chance to see one of these beautiful birds in the landscape or on your next nature walk.

NIK HIREMATH Birding Expert

Local birding experts Nik and Theresa Hiremath own and operate Wild Birds Unlimited of Leawood at 11711 Roe Avenue, Leawood, Kansas. Contact them at 913-491-4887.

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