Cedar Waxwing

Overview

Cedar Waxwing: Small waxwing, red-brown upperparts, pale slate-gray rump, buff underparts. Head is crested, has black mask with narrow white band below. Yellow-tipped tail, white undertail coverts. Wings have red wax-like tips on secondaries from which it gets its name. Black bill, legs and feet.

Range and Habitat

Cedar Waxwing: Breeds from southeastern Alaska east to Newfoundland and south to California, Illinois, and Virginia. Spends winters from British Columbia, the Great Lakes region, and New England southward. Preferred habitats include open woodlands, orchards, and residential areas.

INTERESTING FACTS

Cedar Waxwings are the most specialized fruit-eating birds.
Rather than regurgitating the fruit seeds, they eliminate them with their waste.
Orange, rather than yellow, terminal bands now seen on some tails are attributed to pigments found in an alien honeysuckle fruit introduced to their diet.
A group of waxwings are collectively known as an "ear-full" and a "museum" of waxwings.

The Cedar Waxwing has a large span of more than 7 million square kilometers. The population of the Cedar Waxwing is thought to be at around 15 million individual birds. This bird is native to numerous countries in North America and Central America. In 2000, the Cedar Waxwing was rated as Lower Concern. At the current time, the Cedar Waxwing has a rating of Least Concern due to no evidence of population decline over the past several generations.