HOME | DD

Description
A CEDAR WAXWING searching for insects from the fence surrounding the Cap-Pelé Wastewater Treatment Plant (sewage lagoon) at Cap-Pelé, New Brunswick, Canada.

Cedar Waxwings return from the south in late May and at this time of the year (mid-June) are one of the most common and conspicuous birds in our area as small flocks of them wander around searching for areas where lots of insects are hatching. Sewage lagoons are hotbeds of insect activity so it's very routine to see Cedar Waxwings lined up on fences around lagoons snatching up newly emerged insects or gleaning them from the fence itself.

Unlike most returning migrants Cedar Waxwings are very casual about nesting and often wait until later in the summer before getting around to raising their young. This late nesting is timed to take advantage of the ripening of berries which is the waxwings' favourite food to feed to their young.

The shiny red projections on the tips of the secondaries (inner wing feathers) are unique to members of the waxwing family. Their function is not known; many waxwings lack these red spots and, when present, their extent varies widely from bird to bird. Researchers have found that birds with the most extensive red projections tend to select similar mates and these pairs nest earlier and produce more young than birds with reduced or no red tips, suggesting these red tips may act as a sort of status symbol.

The bright yellow tail tip is another feature of waxwings. In recent decades a tiny percentage of Cedar Waxwings in ne USA and se Canada are being seen with an orange tail tip which research has shown may be linked to young birds being fed berries of an introduced species of honeysuckle. I'll be posting a photo of one such bird shortly...

Description
A CEDAR WAXWING searching for insects from the fence surrounding the Cap-Pelé Wastewater Treatment Plant (sewage lagoon) at Cap-Pelé, New Brunswick, Canada.

Cedar Waxwings return from the south in late May and at this time of the year (mid-June) are one of the most common and conspicuous birds in our area as small flocks of them wander around searching for areas where lots of insects are hatching. Sewage lagoons are hotbeds of insect activity so it's very routine to see Cedar Waxwings lined up on fences around lagoons snatching up newly emerged insects or gleaning them from the fence itself.

Unlike most returning migrants Cedar Waxwings are very casual about nesting and often wait until later in the summer before getting around to raising their young. This late nesting is timed to take advantage of the ripening of berries which is the waxwings' favourite food to feed to their young.

The shiny red projections on the tips of the secondaries (inner wing feathers) are unique to members of the waxwing family. Their function is not known; many waxwings lack these red spots and, when present, their extent varies widely from bird to bird. Researchers have found that birds with the most extensive red projections tend to select similar mates and these pairs nest earlier and produce more young than birds with reduced or no red tips, suggesting these red tips may act as a sort of status symbol.

The bright yellow tail tip is another feature of waxwings. In recent decades a tiny percentage of Cedar Waxwings in ne USA and se Canada are being seen with an orange tail tip which research has shown may be linked to young birds being fed berries of an introduced species of honeysuckle. I'll be posting a photo of one such bird shortly...