Known predators of adult cedar waxwings include merlins, sharp-shinned hawks, Cooper’s hawks, common grackles and bullfrogs, which attack the waxwings as they drink from stock ponds. Blue jays are known predators of nestlings and house wrens have been observed eating waxwing eggs.
Cedar waxwings may respond to a threat by assuming an erect posture, apparently to make themselves more cryptic. If flying together in a flock, they may crowd together and fly in specific formations to evade pursuers. During the incubation and the nestling periods, males guard the nest and give a warning call when predators approach. Parents whose nest is threatened may try to distract the predator by flying away from the nest in a zig-zag path, or by diving at the predator. Unlike many other small bird species, cedar waxwings are not known to mob large predators.
Known Predators:
Bombycillia cedrorum is one of only three species of waxwing in the family of Bombycillidae. The other two species are found in North America (Bohemian waxwing) and Japan (Japanese waxwing).
Cedar waxwings communicate using vocal and physical signals. They produce several calls that are variations of either rapidly repeated buzzy high-pitched notes or high-pitched hissy whistles. These calls can communicate hunger, anxiety, well-being and a number of other messages. They are produced by male and female adults as well as chicks. Cedar waxwings also communicate using physical displays. For example, they may communicate anxiety by raising the crest on their heads. They can signal that they are feeling threatened by opening their mouths and ruffling their feathers. Females usually display this behavior to signal rejection of a male's attempt at courtship.
Communication Channels: visual ; acoustic
Perception Channels: visual ; tactile ; acoustic ; chemical
Cedar waxwings are common throughout their range, and have increased in number over the past several decades. This population increase is probably due in part to the increase in fruiting trees and shrubs as agricultural lands revert to forest.
Cedar waxwings are protected under the U.S. Migratory Bird Act. They are not protected under CITES or the U.S. Endangered Species Act.
US Migratory Bird Act: protected
US Federal List: no special status
CITES: no special status
State of Michigan List: no special status
IUCN Red List of Threatened Species: least concern
Cedar waxwings eat some economically valuable fruit crops.
Negative Impacts: crop pest
Cedar waxwings eat insects that some people consider to be pests.
Positive Impacts: controls pest population
Cedar waxwings disperse seeds of the plants that they eat while eating the berries and through defecation. They also affect populations of the insects that they eat. Finally, cedar waxwings host external parasites, including feather mites and hippoboscid flies.
Ecosystem Impact: disperses seeds
During the winter, cedar waxwings eat fruit almost exclusively. They rely heavily on cedar berries, especially in the northern part of their range. The birds take the fruit from the tree by holding on to a branch and plucking it off with their beaks. They do this sitting upright or dangling upside-down. They also can remove the fruit from the tree while hovering. Cedar waxwings also eat the fruits of other shrubs that retain berries in winter, such as hollies.
During the summer months, cedar waxwings switch to eating mostly insects. Often, the waxwings will catch their prey by congregating around ponds and streams and waiting for the insects to emerge from the water. Most of the time, they snatch their prey right out of the air. They also glean bark and forage through tree branches for insects.
Animal Foods: insects
Plant Foods: fruit
Primary Diet: carnivore (Insectivore ); herbivore (Frugivore ); omnivore
Cedar waxwings (Bombycillia cedrorum) are found only in North America. Their breeding range extends throughout the southern half of Canada and the northern half of the United States. The winter range includes the United States, Mexico and Central America as far south as Panama. They also winter in the Caribbean region. Many birds in the northern United States and extreme southern Canada are year-round residents.
Vagrant cedar waxwings are occasionally seen in Iceland and Great Britain.
Biogeographic Regions: nearctic (Native )
Cedar waxwings nest in open woodlands (deciduous, coniferous and mixed) or oldfield habitats. They prefer habitats with numerous small trees and shrubs for nesting and food. They frequently inhabit riparian areas, which provide nesting shrubs and trees, fruits and emerging aquatic insects, but also use farms, orchards, conifer plantations, and suburban gardens.
Habitat Regions: temperate ; terrestrial
Terrestrial Biomes: savanna or grassland ; forest
Other Habitat Features: suburban ; agricultural ; riparian
The oldest known cedar waxwing lived 7 years in the wild.
Range lifespan
Status: wild: 8.2 (high) years.
Average lifespan
Status: wild: 98 months.
Cedar waxwings are sleek birds with silky plumage. They are approximately 15.5 cm in length and weigh about 32 g. Adults have a grayish-brown plumage with pale yellow on the breast and belly. The secondary wing feathers are tipped with red wax-like droplets, and the tail is square with a bright yellow band at the tip. Cedar waxwings have a crest and a black mask edged with white.
Male and female waxwings are similar in appearance, but males have a slightly darker chin patch. Females may also be slightly heavier than males during the breeding season. Juvenile cedar waxwings look similar to adults, but are greyer overall, have streaking on their underparts and a much smaller crest and lack the red tips on their secondary feathers.
Average mass: 32 g.
Average length: 15.5 cm.
Sexual Dimorphism: sexes alike; ornamentation
Other Physical Features: endothermic ; bilateral symmetry
Average mass: 30 g.
Cedar waxwings are monogamous within each breeding season. Males court females by doing a hopping dance and passing pieces of fruit, flower petals or insects to their potential mate. If the female is interested in the male, she reciprocates the hopping and passes the item back to the male. This sequence may be repeated many times. After pairs form, the female chooses the nest site. Pairs form beginning in spring, and the birds typically nest and breed from June through August. If the first breeding attempt is successful, the pair usually stays together for a second brood.
Mating System: monogamous
Cedar waxwings breed between June and August. A pair may raise one or two broods during a single breeding season. The female lays 2 to 5 eggs (usually 4 or 5), one per day in early morning. She incubates the eggs for 11 to 13 days (usually 12). The altricial chicks are blind, weak, and naked. They remain in the nest for 14 to 18 days (average 15 days) before venturing out on short flights near the nest. Parents continue to feed the young for 6 to 10 days after they fledge. As early as three or four days after leaving the nest, young waxwings may form flocks with other young from nearby nests. They mature in these flocks and may breed the next summer.
Breeding interval: Cedar waxwings raise one or two broods each year.
Breeding season: Breeding occurs in spring and early summer.
Range eggs per season: 2 to 5.
Average eggs per season: 4 or 5.
Range time to hatching: 11 to 13 days.
Range fledging age: 14 to 18 days.
Average fledging age: 15 days.
Range time to independence: 6 to 10 days.
Average age at sexual or reproductive maturity (female): 1 years.
Average age at sexual or reproductive maturity (male): 1 years.
Key Reproductive Features: iteroparous ; seasonal breeding ; gonochoric/gonochoristic/dioecious (sexes separate); sexual ; oviparous ; sperm-storing
Average eggs per season: 4.
Female cedar waxwings incubate the eggs and brood the chicks for the first 9 days after hatching. During incubation, the male brings food to the female. He also perches in a high exposed place to guard the nest and alert females to the presence of predators. The male and female provide food to the chicks during the hatchling stage and for up to 10 days after fledging. Both parents maintain sanitary conditions in the nest by removing fecal sacks of the chicks and either eating them or dropping them outside the nest.
Parental Investment: altricial ; pre-fertilization (Provisioning, Protecting: Female); pre-hatching/birth (Protecting: Male, Female); pre-weaning/fledging (Provisioning: Male, Female, Protecting: Male, Female); pre-independence (Provisioning: Male, Female, Protecting: Male, Female)
The smaller of the two North American waxwings, the Cedar Waxwing (7 1/4 inches) is also brighter and more colorful than its northern relative, the Bohemian Waxwing (Bombycilla garrulus). This species may be identified by its light brown body and crest, yellow flanks, black face mask, and red waxy-tipped feathers on the wings. Male and female Cedar Waxwings are similar at all seasons. The Cedar Waxwing breeds across Northern Canada and the northern half of the U.S. This species migrates southward in winter, when it may be found in across the United States, Mexico, and Central America. Cedar Waxwings tend to be highly nomadic during winter, moving in flocks in search of food. Thus, while this species may be found all year in north-central portions of the United States, waxwings wintering in these areas are not necessarily the same birds that bred there the summer before, and are more likely birds from further north. Cedar Waxwings breed in woodland interspersed with clearings with small fruit-bearing shrubs. Waxwings primarily consume fruits and berries, and this habitat type supports this species’ oddly specific dietary requirements. In winter, waxwings may be found wherever berries, particularly those of cedars, are plentiful. Often, Cedar Waxwings are most easily observed foraging in trees and shrubs. Depending on the location of fruit on the tree, these birds may be high in the canopy, low to the ground, or anywhere in between. Cedar Waxwings may also be observed undertaking short, straight flights between trees or longer flights between feeding areas or on migration. This species is primarily active during the day.
The smaller of the two North American waxwings, the Cedar Waxwing (7 1/4 inches) is also brighter and more colorful than its northern relative, the Bohemian Waxwing (Bombycilla garrulus). This species may be identified by its light brown body and crest, yellow flanks, black face mask, and red waxy-tipped feathers on the wings. Male and female Cedar Waxwings are similar at all seasons. The Cedar Waxwing breeds across Northern Canada and the northern half of the U.S. This species migrates southward in winter, when it may be found in across the United States, Mexico, and Central America. Cedar Waxwings tend to be highly nomadic during winter, moving in flocks in search of food. Thus, while this species may be found all year in north-central portions of the United States, waxwings wintering in these areas are not necessarily the same birds that bred there the summer before, and are more likely birds from further north. Cedar Waxwings breed in woodland interspersed with clearings with small fruit-bearing shrubs. Waxwings primarily consume fruits and berries, and this habitat type supports this species’ oddly specific dietary requirements. In winter, waxwings may be found wherever berries, particularly those of cedars, are plentiful. Often, Cedar Waxwings are most easily observed foraging in trees and shrubs. Depending on the location of fruit on the tree, these birds may be high in the canopy, low to the ground, or anywhere in between. Cedar Waxwings may also be observed undertaking short, straight flights between trees or longer flights between feeding areas or on migration. This species is primarily active during the day.
The cedar waxwing (Bombycilla cedrorum) is a member of the family Bombycillidae or waxwing family of passerine birds. It is a medium-sized, mostly brown, gray, and yellow. This bird is named for its wax-like wing tips. It is a native of North and Central America, breeding in open wooded areas in southern Canada and wintering in the southern half of the United States, Central America, and the far northwest of South America. Its diet includes cedar cones, fruit, holly berries, and insects.[2] The cedar waxwing is listed as least concern on the IUCN Red List.
The genus name Bombycilla comes from the Ancient Greek bombux, "silk" and the Modern Latin cilla, "tail";[3] this is a direct translation of the German Seidenschwanz, "silk-tail", and refers to the silky-soft plumage of these birds.[4] The specific cedrorum is Latin for "of the cedars".[3]
Cedar waxwings are medium-sized birds approximately 6–7 in (15–18 cm) long and weighing roughly 30 g (1.1 oz). Wingspan ranges from 8.7 to 11.8 in (22-30 cm).[5] They are smaller and browner than their close relative, the Bohemian waxwing (which breeds farther to the north and west). Their markings are a "silky, shiny collection of brown, gray, and lemon-yellow, accented with a subdued crest, rakish black mask, and brilliant-red wax droplets on the wing feathers."[6] These droplets may be the same color as the madrone berries they are known to eat.[7] These birds' most prominent feature is this small cluster of red wax-like droplets on tips of secondary flight feathers on the wings, a feature they share with the Bohemian waxwing (but not the Japanese waxwing). These wax-like droplets are attributed to the pigmented and medullary layers of the secondary tip being surrounded by a transparent cuticle.[8] The wings are "broad and pointed, like a starling's."[6] The tail is typically yellow or orange depending on diet. Birds that have fed on berries of introduced Eurasian honeysuckles while growing tail feathers will have darker orange-tipped tail-feathers.[9] The tail is somewhat short, and square-tipped.[6] Adults have a pale yellow belly. The waxwing's crest often "lies flat and droops over the back of the head."[6] It has a short and wide bill.[6] The waxwing's black mask has a thin white border. Immature birds are streaked on the throat and flanks, and often do not have the black mask of the adults. Males and females look alike.[10]
The flight of waxwings is strong and direct, and the movement of the flock in flight resembles that of a flock of small pale European starlings. Cedar waxwings fly at 40 km/h (25 mph) and fly at an altitude of 610 m (2,000 ft).
Cedar waxwings are also known as the southern waxwing, Canada robin, cedar bird, cherry bird, or recellet.
The oldest observed cedar waxwing was eight years and two months old.[9]
The two common calls of these birds include very high-pitched whistles and buzzy trills about a half second long often represented as see or sree.[9][11] Its call can also be described as "high, thin, whistles."[6] They call often, especially in flight.[9]
Preferred habitat consists of trees at the edge of wooded areas, or forests, especially those that provide access to berry sources as well as water. They are frequently seen in fruiting trees.[6] Waxwings are attracted to the sound of running water and like to bathe in and drink from shallow creeks. In urban or suburban environments, waxwings often favor parkland with well-spaced trees; golf courses, cemeteries, or other landscaping with well-spaced trees; bushes that provide berries; and a nearby water source such as a fountain or birdbath. Also look for them near farms, orchards, and gardens, particularly ones with fruiting trees or shrubs.[6]
Outside the breeding season, cedar waxwings often feed in large flocks numbering hundreds of birds. This species is nomadic and irruptive,[12] with erratic winter movements, though most of the population migrates farther south into the United States and beyond, sometimes reaching as far as northern South America. They will move in huge numbers if berry supplies are low. Rare vagrants have reached western Europe, and there are two recorded occurrences of cedar waxwing sightings in Great Britain. Individual Bohemian waxwings will occasionally join large winter flocks of cedar waxwings.
Cedar waxwings are sociable, seen in flocks year round.[6] They are non-territorial birds and "will often groom each other."[10] They move from place to place depending on where they can find good sources of berries.[10]
Mating season for this bird begins around the end of spring and runs through late summer.[10] The male will do a "hopping dance" for the female. If she is interested, she'll hop back.[10] During courtship the male and female will sit together and pass small objects back and forth, such as flower petals or an insect. Mating pairs will sometimes rub their beaks together. The nest is a loose open cup built with grass and twigs, lined with softer materials and supported by a tree branch averaging 2 to 6 m (6.6 to 19.7 ft) above ground but, at times, considerably higher. It takes around five or six days for the female waxwing to build the nest and can take up to 2,500 trips back and forth. Sometimes the female will steal nest material from other species' nests.[9] The outer diameter of the nest is approximately 12 to 16 cm (4.7 to 6.3 in). Usually 5 or 6 eggs are laid and the female incubates them for 11 to 13 days.[9] The eggs are oval shaped with a smooth surface and very little, if any, gloss. The egg shells are of various shades of light or bluish grey with irregular, dark brown spots or greyish-brown splotches.[9] Both parents build the nest and feed the young. Typically, there are one or two broods during the mating season.[9] Young leave the nest about 14 to 18 days after hatching.[9]
Cedar waxwings eat berries and sugary fruit year-round, including dogwood, serviceberry, cedar, juniper, hawthorn, and winterberry,[6] with insects becoming an important part of the diet in the breeding season. Its fondness for the small cones of the eastern redcedar (a kind of juniper) gave this bird its common name. They eat berries whole.[6] They sometimes fly over water to catch insects.[6] The cedar waxwing is sometimes responsible for significant damage to commercial fruit farms and thus can be considered a pest,[13][14] especially because it feeds in large groups.[15]
When the end of a twig holds a supply of berries that only one bird at a time can reach, members of a flock may line up along the twig and pass berries beak to beak down the line so that each bird gets a chance to eat.[16]
Sometimes, cedar waxwings will eat fruit that is overripe and has begun to ferment, intoxicating the bird.[9]
Cedar waxwings are a highly specialized frugivorous species, exhibiting almost full reliance on sugary fruits, unlike other fruit-eating passerines that exhibit only opportunistic frugivory when other food sources are in poor supply. Their efficient digestion of fruits containing simple sugars allows them to persist off of fruit alone, while other fruit-eating passerines found subsisting on fruit alone to be a fatal task.[17] Reliance on primarily fruit alone occurs until fruit cessation in the spring when the birds start to feed on insects and flowers in which an intestinal analysis revealed stomach contents of 84% fruit, 12% invertebrates, and 4% flowers, among 212 individuals involved in the study.[18]
Despite the advantage of frugivorous specialization, they did lose body mass when experimentally fed one fruit type alone (Viburnum opulus), but gained body mass when fed pollen-rich catkins as well (Populus deltoides).[19] Many fleshy fruits are energy rich, however, they are deficient in nitrogen (protein) levels required by cedar waxwings (1.7%). The nutrient deficit of sugary fruits alone is mitigated through flower and subsequent pollen consumption that is rich in protein. This response to food diversity illustrates the importance of multiple food sources in order to acquire the precise nutrients needed to maintain bodily metabolism.
Even though they displayed efficient rates of digestion, they also exhibited relatively quick passage rates which are indicative of their low utilization efficiency (36.5%) as fruit skins appeared undigested in feces.[20] The low utilization efficiency of fruits digested by Cedar Waxwings not only indicates the necessity of consuming large quantities of fruits, but viable seeds found in feces also suggests the important role they may play in seed dispersal.[20]
The presence of seeds in feces is also indicative of the digestive limitations associated with eating seed-rich fruits, specifically fruits laden with smaller seeds that pass much slower through the digestive tract.[21] A positive correlation between seed defecation and fruit consumption is seen as rates of ingestion increased only when rates of seed processing also increased.[21] Studies have shown that when seeds were observed being regurgitated or expelled, activity and ingestion increased as opposed to when seeds were consumed and passed through the digestive tract, limiting further activity and foraging in which waxwings exhibited a period of “loafing” characterized by stretches of inactivity after a meal.[21] This limitation of fruit processing poses potential issues for Cedar Waxwings observed consuming nutrient-poor fruits and their seeds as the ingestion of seeds prevents them from increasing consumption efforts to mitigate this low-quality diet.
Ingestion of seeds by cedar waxwings is alleviated via efficient rates of seed processing in which seeds are separated from and defecated before the pulp of the fruit.[22][21] This allows them to still exhibit relatively high digestion efficiencies in spite of the gut processing limitations that are associated with eating seeds. The digestive strategies employed by these birds allow them to subsist off of a predominately fruit-based diet.
Waxwings are evaluated as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List of Endangered Species.[1] Populations are increasing in their range partly because fields are being allowed to grow into forests and shrublands, and fruiting trees like mountain ash are being planted as landscaping.[9] On the other hand, cedar waxwings do sometimes crash into windows, and get hit by cars while foraging along roadsides.[9]
The cedar waxwing (Bombycilla cedrorum) is a member of the family Bombycillidae or waxwing family of passerine birds. It is a medium-sized, mostly brown, gray, and yellow. This bird is named for its wax-like wing tips. It is a native of North and Central America, breeding in open wooded areas in southern Canada and wintering in the southern half of the United States, Central America, and the far northwest of South America. Its diet includes cedar cones, fruit, holly berries, and insects. The cedar waxwing is listed as least concern on the IUCN Red List.
The genus name Bombycilla comes from the Ancient Greek bombux, "silk" and the Modern Latin cilla, "tail"; this is a direct translation of the German Seidenschwanz, "silk-tail", and refers to the silky-soft plumage of these birds. The specific cedrorum is Latin for "of the cedars".
