Cedar Waxwing

Cedar Waxwing--one of our prettiest birds--is common and sometimes abundant in the county during the winter months, but Waxwings move in flocks following food availability, so they appear irregularly. A few birds may be present in Sonoma County any time of the year, but numbers begin to increase rapidly from late September, with some flocks arriving earlier. Most stay through mid-April, with a fair number lingering into early June, by which time the sparse summer population has been left behind. Waxwings like ornamental berries such as pyracantha, cotoneaster, and privet, which often attracts them to the suburbs and to parks. In wooded settings, mistletoe berries are a favorite, but Waxwings will also flycatch--flying out from a perch to capture an insect then perching again. Waxwings are named for the red tips of the secondaries that are said to suggest sealing wax. The Birder's Handbook, says these are extensions of the shafts of the secondary feathers (p. 485), although elsewhere in the same book the "wax" is said to exude from the feather shaft tips (p. 484). Note that the red tips are absent in young birds and may be difficult to observe in the field even when present, but a couple are visible in the photograph below (on the the adult bird). Waxwings are often detected first by their very high-pitched call notes. Although mostly seen in flocks, Waxwings pair off during breeding season.

The yellow band at the end of the tail, the silky crest, and black mask edged with white indicate a Waxwing. Mostly buffy brown but with a pale yellow belly and white under the tail. Wings are darker and greyer than the rest of the bird. A white inner edging on the tertials may be visible when the wings are folded. Rump and tail also dark grey, deepening in color toward the yellow tail band. The tail band color is variable (apparently depending on diet). May be more orange or almost red in some cases. Young birds are greyer overall and have splotchy streaking on the sides of the breast and on the flanks as in the bird at right in the photo below.

The only similar bird is the related Bohemian Waxwing (Bombycilla garrulus), which is quite rare in Sonoma County, noted here only in very occasional irruptions. Bolander and Parmeter mention 1892, 1910-1911, 1919-1920, and 1969 as having been notable years for Bohemian Waxwing in California. That bird is larger, has rich, reddish brown under the tail (where Cedar Waxwing is white) and no yellow on the belly. Unlike Cedar Waxwing, Bohemian Waxwing will show white or white and yellow in the folded wings. Note that juvenile Cedar Waxwings seen from the front may suggest Olive-sided Flycatcher (Contopus cooperi), especially if the head is obscured from view, hiding the mask and crest.