|
| |
Cedar Waxwing
By Tait Johansson
In
 a time when the populations of many songbird species in our part of the world
are declining, one happy exception to this is the elegant Cedar Waxwing,
Bombycilla cedrorum. One of a family consisting of only three
species worldwide, our waxwing is a common breeding species at the edges of
woods and in many other habitats with scattered trees, often near water.
The smooth, sleek plumage of this bird, which seems not to have a single feather
out of place, ranges from a warm tannish-brown on its upperparts to a
honey-yellow on the bird’s belly, and gray on its wings, tail and upper tail
coverts. The head is adorned with a crest of feathers, similar in shape to the
crest of a cardinal or titmouse, and a small black “mask” in the area of the
eye. The bill is black and relatively thin, with a slight downward hook at the
end of the upper mandible. The tail has a colorful band at its end, usually
yellow, but the most striking feature of its plumage is a series of small,
bright red, waxy blobs at the ends of the secondary flight feathers (hence the
name “waxwing”). Their purpose is unknown, but biologists speculate they may
play a role of some sort in mate selection, which seems to be the generic
fallback explanation of the biologist for any puzzling characteristic of any
organism. The call, heard year-round, is a quiet, high-pitched, insect-like “zeeee”
often given in flight as well as from a perch.
 Waxwings spend most of the year in flocks, roaming around nomadically in search
of berries. While watching a feeding flock, one can often observe their rather
charming habit of passing berries to one another, bill to bill. Their breeding
biology is closely tied to their frugivorous habits; though present in the
Northeastern United States year round, waxwings do not start to nest until about
early June, timing the hatching of their young to coincide with summer-ripening
berries. Their diet may be one reason Cedar Waxwings have increased considerably
in the past forty years or so. One of the few good ecological effects of
increasing suburbanization is that the planted ornamental fruit-bearing shrubs
and trees it often brings with it provide an abundant food source for waxwings.
This species was named for its close association with the Eastern Red Cedar,
Juniperus virginiana, whose small bluish fruits are still a major food
source for waxwings, especially in winter. But small crabapples and the fruits
of other ornamentals are increasingly becoming important parts of this bird’s
foraging routine. One strange effect of this has been a change in the plumage of
some Cedar Waxwings. Normally, there is a yellow band at the end of the tail,
but some waxwings now have bright orange tail bands instead. This plumage
variant, unrecorded before 1950, is apparently caused by eating the berries of
the Morrow Honeysuckle, Lonicera morrowii, an exotic shrub often planted
as an ornamental.
The Cedar Waxwing’s whispered, peaceful calls and the understated beauty of its
attire make a refined, subtle counterpoint to the showier plumages and bolder
sounds vying for the birder’s attention at this time of year.
Photos Courtesy of and Copyright © by
Dick Budnik Photography
DickBudnik@verizon.net
http://mysite.verizon.net/DickBudnik
Copyright © 2003-2006 Bedford Audubon Society
e-mail questions or comments
webmaster |
Bedford
Audubon Society