Cedar Waxwing
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Waxwing, common name for any of three members of a family of passerine birds.
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Waxwings are fawn-colored birds with erectile crests, silky textured plumage, and long, pointed wings; the secondary wing feathers are tipped with red, horny scales resembling sealing wax.
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The largest waxwing, and the only one found in both Eurasia and the Americas, is the Bohemian waxwing, known in Great Britain simply as the waxwing.
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In North America it breeds in the northwest from Alaska south to northern Idaho and Montana, and east to Hudson Bay.
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Large numbers occasionally invade the United States south of the breeding range in winter.
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The smaller cedar waxwing is about 18 cm (about 7 in) in length.
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It occupies most of North America south of the range of the Bohemian waxwing.
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It nests late in the summer, feeding its young on berries and insects.
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It has no regular migration route, but wanders widely after breeding.
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The third species, the Japanese waxwing, is the most colorful. It has bright red tips to the tail feathers (rather than yellow as in the other two species), red under tail coverts, a red patch in the wings, and a longer crest.
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It breeds in a small area of southeastern Siberia, and winters in eastern China, Korea, and Japan.
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Scientific classification:
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Waxwings belong to the family Bombycillidae of the order Passeriformes.
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The Bohemian waxwing is classified as Bombycilla garrulus, the cedar waxwing as Bombycilla cedrorum, and the Japanese waxwing as Bombycilla japonica.
