Cedar Waxwing

Bombycilla cedrorum

Compiled by Liam Molina

The Cedar Waxwing is a frequent visitor you might spot in your backyard or through your binoculars. Beautifully colored, its plumage sports shades of brown, gray and yellow resembling a gradient, with bits of red at the tips of their wings, giving them their name. Relatively small in stature, you’ll probably hear this birds‘ high pitched trill or sighed whistle before you see them.

During the winter and spring, they can be found in clusters at the tops of trees, whistling at one another. These birds love fruit, and having trees or shrubs that bear berries will be a surefire way to get these guys visiting, especially soapberry, cedar, hawthorn and juniper plants. To learn more about how to attract these birds to your yard, check out our plants for birds guide. 

Another fun fact: Cedar Waxwings are definitely love birds! During breeding season, these birds form monogamous relationships. Courtship involves the male bringing the female a fruit, flower, petals or an insect, and if she approves, they’ll pass it back and forth various times before she eats it. Afterwards, the female will be in charge of finding a location for the nest and building it, while the male will provide her food and protection while the eggs are incubating. #Goals.

Sources: NWF All About Birds Ebird.org

Photo Credit: Marlin Greene, Mary Lynn Mayko, David Sloas