For the last few days my yard has been invaded by hordes of Cedar Waxwings, often said to be the MOST handsome bird in North America, and I believe that to be true. These birds will NOT come to your feeders so you must look, and ESPECIALLY listen for them. They are berry eaters and I have personally witnessed them eating Holly Berries in early
spring and Mulberries (before I can eat any
) in mid-late
spring. They are ALWAYS found in flocks that behave like schools of minnows in the ocean, the flock moving as a single entity rather than individual birds. Their call is ALMOST above the range of human hearing and sounds to humans like, "Ssssssss, Ssssssss" a high-pitched shrill hissing often heard coming from the
tree tops. They are call, "Waxwings" because their wings really DO contain wax which appears as a bright red tip on the longest feather of each wing. They are a burnished bronze color with a black mask and a bright yellow band on the tip of the tail. Their heads have a swept-back crest much like a Wood Duck that makes a spike in the back. This spike, coupled with their sharply pointed bill and very flat head give what I think is a pick-axe appearance around the head. Here is a pretty poor but recognizable picture I took this afternoon in my Bradford Pear
tree of one of a flock of 5 birds. Note the black mask, Yellow band on the tip of the tail, and Barely visible the pinkish-red spot on the wing which is the accumulation of red wax that is excreted through the wings from the berries that they eat. Go to Google Image Search under Cedar Waxwing for better pictures and to eNature.com to listen to the sound they make.
CEDAR WAXWING