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Monday, February 3, 2014

Cedar Waxwing

Cedar Waxwing


The Cedar Waxwing  is a member of the family Bombycillidae or waxwing family of passerine birds. It is a medium sized, mostly brown, gray, and yellow bird 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, and insects. The Cedar Waxwing is not endangered.Cedar Waxwings are a medium sized bird approximately 6-7 in  long and weigh roughly 30 g . They are smaller and more brown than their close relative, the Bohemian Waxwing . It is 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. 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  The wings are "broad and pointed, like a starling's. 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.The tail is somewhat short, and square-tipped Adults have a pale yellow belly. The Waxwing's crest often "lies flat and droops over the back of the head."It has a short and wide bill. 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.

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