top of page
Nature's Solace
Celebrating Nature in the Pacific Northwest
Cedar Waxwing - Bombycilla cedrorum
Cedar waxwings are, in my eyes, the most handsome and dapper of birds with their white rimmed black mask, yellow tipped tail and, if she is an adult, the elegant head crest. Their name comes from their fondness of eastern red cedar cones and the waxy red secretions found on the tips of the secondaries in some birds.
Another word to describe these birds is "social". It's rare to see a single bird.
Young cedar waxwings do not have the head crest
Cedar waxwings are social in all seasons, except when nesting. Listen for their high, thin whistles - look up and you may spot a flock of them in the fall, perhaps in the hundreds, feasting on berries. They are one of the few North American birds who specializes in eating fruit. One early fall day when my blue elderberry was loaded with its berries, a couple dozen waxwings feasted on the berries for days until none were left. If they eat too much, they can become intoxicated if the fruit is in the fermentation stage.
Cedar waxwings are one of the latest of songbirds to breed, extending from late spring through late summer. The mated pair will stay together through one season.
According to Cornell Lab All About Birds, " During courtship, males and females hop towards each other, alternating back and forth and sometimes touching their bills together. Males often pass a small item like a fruit, insect, or flower petal, to the female. After taking the fruit, the female usually hops away and then returns giving back the item to the male. They repeat this a few times until, typically, the female eats the gift."
In this video you will see an adult waxwing, likely the male, feeding an adult female. I watched this behavior one summer day at a Port Angeles beach.
The female will build her nest typically in the fork of a horizontal branch three to fifty feet high. After about 2500 individual trips of collecting nesting materials, she will complete her nest in up to five days. Two to six eggs will be laid and both parents help to feed the nestlings. After 14 - 18 days, the chicks will fledge.
bottom of page