Wednesday, January 28, 2015

Cedar Waxwing

Cedar Waxwing
 The cedar waxwing is a robin sized songbird that is found in the northern United States and southern Canada. Birds that breed in the northern US are typically year round residents while birds that breed in Canada often migrate south to the US, Mexico and Central America for the winter. Waxwings get their name from the red waxy substance that forms on the tips of some birds wings. Their are two species of waxwings in North America the cedar waxwing and the more northerly bohemian waxwing.
Cedar Waxwing
 Cedar waxwings eat mostly fruit. They typically eat the entire fruit discarding the seeds through their mute. Cedar waxwings get their name because they also eat the cones and berries of eastern red cedar, especially during the winter months when other fruits are not available. Sometimes they have been found intoxicated by eating fruit that has sat too long and  started to ferment. During the summer they will also supplement their diet with insects that they catch on the wing or glean from trees. The bird in the photo above is a first year bird while the one in the top photo is a mature adult.



14 comments:

KaHolly said...

Always a favorite of mine!

fredamans said...

Beautiful. Love the color!

Margaret Birding For Pleasure said...

Such a beautiful bird.

A Colorful World said...

Wonderful photo and information!

Breathtaking said...

Very enjoyable post with lots of information, and two lovely photos. The adult is so beautiful.

Adam Tilt said...

Super birds.

Anonymous said...

Beautiful shots with the berries!

Joy said...

Gorgeous photographs that tell a story.

Kate said...

Beautiful photos of beautiful birds.

BumbleVee said...

I've never seen one up close... such lovely clear photos on a lovely clear day....... wow....

Maude Lynn said...

Gorgeous captures!

Roger Owen Green said...

That first pic is particularly fun!
ROG, ABCW

Obsessivemom said...

What hues she has! And that cherry tree looks beautiful.

Anonymous said...

Waxwing Bird is so beautiful!
Nice photo's you have been taking.