waxwing

 

any of three species of perching songbirds of the Northern Hemisphere. Waxwings have crests (raised only in alarm) and sleek brownish-gray plumage with flecks of red pigment resembling sealing wax on the wings and a yellow band on the tail tip. The cedar waxwing, called cherry bird and cedar bird, breeds throughout most of Canada and the United States. The Bohemian, or greater, waxwing is more northern in distribution, ranging into the United States only rarely in winter. It is found in N Europe and Asia as well as in N North America. The third species, the Japanese waxwing, is found only in NE Asia. Waxwings are classified in the phylum Chordata, subphylum Vertebrata, class Aves, order Passeriformes, family Bombycillidae, genus Bombycilla.

Waxwing
Bohemian Waxwings
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia Phylum: Chordata Class: Aves Order: Passeriformes Family: Bombycillidae Genus: Bombycilla Vieillot, 1808
Species
B. garrulus B. japonica B. cedrorum

For the band featuring Rocky Votolato, see Waxwing (band).

The waxwings are a group of passerine birds characterised by soft silky plumage and unique red tips to some of the wing feathers. In the Bohemian and Cedar Waxwings, these tips look like sealing wax, and give the group its name.

These are arboreal birds of northern forests. They live on insects in summer and berries in winter.

They are not true long-distance migrants, but wander erratically outside the breeding season and move south from their summer range in winter. In poor berry years huge numbers can erupt well beyond their normal range.

Some authorities (including the Sibley-Monroe checklist) place the silky-flycatchers, and the Hypocolius, in family Bombycillidae along with the waxwings.

The male and female have the same plumage and cannot be identified by plumage differences.

Species

• Bohemian Waxwing, B. garrulus
• Japanese Waxwing, B. japonica
• Cedar Waxwing, B. cedrorum

Quote

I was the shadow of the waxwing slain
By the false azure in the windowpane

These are the first lines of the poem "Pale Fire" by "John Shade," a fictional poet created by Vladimir Nabokov, for his novel Pale Fire.

External links

• Waxwing videos on the Internet Bird Collection

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