Cedar Waxwing —Ross Feldner

This strikingly elegant bird lives in orchards, open woodlands and fruit trees often at the edge of the forest, suburban yards or fields. In the winter they are usually found in wooded areas or more open areas where berries are bountiful.

Cedar Waxwings will swarm on berry trees and shrubs calling out with faltering thin cries. As sociable birds, you will rarely see a single waxwing. Instead, you will observe interesting social behavior like sharing food. When the supply of berries is on the end of a branch that only one bird can reach, members of a flock often line up and pass berries beak to beak down the line so that each bird gets to eat.

This bird has many distinctive features including a black mask and the bright-red, waxy tips on its secondary wing feathers. These tips are the result of its fruit-heavy diet which causes an accumulation of the same organic pigment that gives red fruits their color