Wild About Wild Life

People consider the Cedar Waxwing to be the most elegant of all the western birds.  With its slender form and intelligent face make it simple to spot, but most bird watchers know that the way to find the Cedar Waxwing is to listen for it.  The high-pitched zee zee is often the first indicator that these charming birds are nearby. Though they are inconspicuous in the summertime, in winter they travel in flocks of 40 birds or more. In our neighborhood, they flock to the winter fruit of the persimmon tree, which provides a generous meal.

A few cool facts about these little guys are:

• Latin Name: Bombycilla cedrorum
  Size: 6 1/2″ – 8″
  Color: Fawn colored with black mask and chin, yellow belly, white undertail.
  Voice: A high pitched, whistling zee zee zee.
  Habitat: Mixed forests, orchards, and city parks with berry-bearing trees.
  Range: Most of the United States.
  Bird feeder? Because the Cedar Waxwing feeds primarily on fruit, a seed feeder is unlikely to attract attention. Rather, planting trees and shrubs with winter fruit will be your best plan for inviting these birds to your yard.

The name “waxwing” comes from the waxy red secretions found on the tips of the secondaries of some birds. The exact function of these tips is not known, but they may help attract mates.  The Cedar Waxwing is one of the few North American birds that specializes in eating fruit. It can survive on fruit alone for several months. Brown-headed Cowbirds that are raised in Cedar Waxwing nests typically don’t survive, in part because the cowbird chicks can’t develop on such a high-fruit diet.

Building a nest takes a female Cedar Waxwing 5 to 6 days and may require more than 2,500 individual trips to the nest. They occasionally save time by taking nest materials from other birds’ nests, including nests of Eastern Kingbirds, Yellow-throated Vireos, orioles, robins, and Yellow Warblers.  

Cedar Waxwings with orange instead of yellow tail tips began appearing in the northeastern U.S. and southeastern Canada in the 1960s. The orange color is the result of a red pigment picked up from the berries of an introduced species of honeysuckle. If a waxwing eats enough of the berries while it is growing a tail feather, the tip of the feather will be orange.  Many birds that eat a lot of fruit separate out the seeds and regurgitate them, but the Cedar Waxwing lets them pass right through. Scientists have used this trait to estimate how fast waxwings can digest fruits.   Because they eat so much fruit, Cedar Waxwings occasionally become intoxicated or even die when they run across overripe berries that have started to ferment and produce alcohol.  There little bodies simply cannot handle such brew.

 

These little guys are quite a wonder. The best way to visually track the Cedar Waxwing is with a pair of good binoculars. Here are some good ones for your review:   http://www.wildlife-houses.com/index.php?cPath=22&osCsid=56905971c4905e0882f859f795d4b24f   As always, Happy Birding!!!