Bird of the Week: Cedar Waxwing

Photograph by Judy Gallagher

Species: Cedar Waxwing, Bombycilla cedrorum

Family: Bombycillidae

Sign: Pisces 

Favorite hobby: staying at the restaurant past closing 

Dear reader, 

The Cedar Waxwing is a very recognizable bird, and one that I have been familiar with for most of my life. In a Chinaberry tree outside of my home when I was younger, they would gather every fall and sweep through the tree in a swarm. The berries would all be gone in two or three days, and the flock would move on to the next bountiful tree. Whenever I think of Cedar Waxwings, I think of them in their hordes, covering a tree as if they are its leaves, producing their cacophonous orchestra of chirps. Unlike where I grew up, Cedar Waxwings are present year-round in Oregon. They have one of the more straightforward distribution maps I have ever seen for a bird: they reside non-breeding in Southern North America and Central America, year-round in Northern North America, and breeding in Canada. 

Cedar Waxwings are in the midrange of songbird sizes, being about the size of a starling. They are crested and have a black stripe over their eyes outlined by stark white. From their breast to their tail, the Cedar Waxwing’s coloring changes from tan to light yellow on its frontside, and tan to gray on its back. The ‘waxwing’ namesake comes from the waxy red secretions on the tips of their wing secondary feathers. The purpose of this feature is not known for certain, but it is thought that it could have something to do with attracting mates. The tip of the waxwing's tail is yellow, and ever-so-slightly forked. In the 1960s, Cedar Waxwings with orange tail tips instead of yellow began appearing in the Northeastern U.S. and Southeastern Canada. It was found that the coloration was changed if while feathers were forming, a bird ate enough of the fruit of Morrow’s Honeysuckle, a species introduced in the late 1800s. Its red pigment shows itself in its consumer’s coloration, which I truly do not know the logistics of but do think is very neat!

Cedar Waxwings are one of the few birds in North America that specialize in eating fruit. They are unique for their ability to digest fruit seed and all, unlike many birds who regurgitate the seeds after consumption. It isn’t rare for a Cedar Waxwing to become tipsy off of overripe and fermented berries and even die because of this. I once found one in the grass under their favored tree, blinking but reluctant to move. I wrapped it in a towel and held it for half an hour as it continued to come out of its stupor, moving more and flitting its wings. Abruptly, the waxwing took off back to its flock. 

I hope you all spot a horde of these merry, voracious day drinkers this fall or winter, although hopefully not stumbling at the foot of a berry-laden tree.