Species

Cedar waxwing

Bombycilla cedrorum

A sleek, crested fruit-eater with red waxy wingtips, travelling in flocks that strip berry bushes.

Photo Rhododendrites (opens in a new tab) / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0 (opens in a new tab)

At a glance

Size: About 14 to 17 cm long
Weight: About 30 to 35 g
Habitat: Woods, parks, suburbs and orchards with fruiting trees
Diet: Berries and fruit; insects in summer
In Georgia: A common winter visitor and migrant, November to May
Voice: A thin, high "sree"
Rabies vector: No

Identification

Key marks: Soft brown crest; black mask; yellow-tipped tail; red waxy tips on the wing feathers
Told apart from: Northern cardinal females, which have a red bill and no mask
Where to look: Flocks in fruiting trees such as holly, cedar and hackberry

Behaviour

Cedar waxwings travel in flocks, eating berries whole. They sometimes pass a berry from bird to bird along a branch. Birds that eat fermented fruit can become intoxicated.

Why they matter

Waxwings spread the seeds of many native trees and shrubs. Their diet is so rich in fruit that they can survive on berries alone for months.

Reproduction and lifecycle

Nest — A bulky cup of grass and twigs in a tree
Eggs — Usually four or five
Incubation — About 11 to 13 days
Chicks — Fed by both parents
Flight — At about 14 to 18 days
Lifespan — Several years

Living around people

Waxwings flying into windows near fruiting trees are common; decals help.
Planting native fruiting trees feeds them.

Misconceptions

Waxwings get drunk on purpose. They eat fermented fruit by accident.

Related species

Seasonal activity

When this species is breeding, and when there are nests on the ground. Mowing during the shaded months is how most nests are found.

Breeding and active nests by month for this species
	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec
Breeding	Jan: no	Feb: no	Mar: no	Apr: no	May: no	Jun: no	Jul: no	Aug: no	Sep: no	Oct: no	Nov: no	Dec: no
Active nests	Jan: no	Feb: no	Mar: no	Apr: no	May: no	Jun: no	Jul: no	Aug: no	Sep: no	Oct: no	Nov: no	Dec: no
Notes	Wintering flocks	Flocks	Flocks	Flocks	Last flocks leave	Nesting farther north	Nesting	Nesting	Moving south	Moving south	Arriving	Flocks

Where it lives

Recorded in 89 states and provinces. Each one links to the other animals there, and to the rehabilitators licensed for them.

Canada

If you found one

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