Cedar Waxwing

Cedar Waxwings are a popular bird to observe and photograph. They are very colorful in a silky sort of way. Their head and chest is pale brown that transitions to soft gray on the back and wings. The belly is pale yellow and the tail is a darker gray with a bright yellow tip. They often have red, waxy tips on the wing feathers. This is the source of the Waxwing part of their name. They have a black mask outlined in white. There is a crest that is usually drooped back.

Their primary food source is fruit and berries. This is supplemented with insects in the summer. Cedar berries are a winter staple in cold areas and that is the source of the Cedar part of their name. Cedar Waxwings are short to long distance migrants. They can be seen year round in the northern half of the US, but are in southern Canada only in the summer. Some may migrate as far south as Panama in the winter. Migration is probably more of a population shift than a typical migration.

People never seem to tire of seeing them.