This is why cedar waxwings are special

As soon as I was allowed to ride my bicycle there, my hometown library became one of my favorite destinations. It wasn’t much more than a half-mile away. But to a fourth-grader, it felt like 10.

I was fascinated by all the books I could take home for free. I was even more fascinated by the cedar waxwings that frequented the mountain ash trees around the building.

The trees were right outside the library window. When the waxwings were feeding, they didn’t care how close I was, because I was on the safe side of the glass. I could see every feather. That made a lifelong impression.

I still love them. And now that I know more about them, I love them even more.

Cedar waxwings are special.

Cedar waxwings could have been designed by a Renaissance painter. The colors blend subtly together. Pale brown on the head and chest blurs into delicate gray on the back and wings. The belly is a pale wash of yellow, not overdone. The colors fuse together, giving the bird a silky look.

Not yet satisfied, the painter adds a jaunty crest to the head and adorns the wings with waxy red beads, giving the bird its name. The tail is dipped in yellow wax. I could, and did, watch them for hours.

And that was long before I knew their other secrets.

Cedar waxwings are one of the most sociable species on the planet. They spend most of the year hanging out together in sizable flocks. About the only time they aren’t gathered with friends is during the breeding season. Even then, they tend to form loosely organized nesting colonies.

A big flock needs a big food supply. Cedar waxwings are nomadic, wandering until they find a banquet table. Berries and fruit provide much of their diet. Many trees produce firm berries that don’t soften until winter bruises them.

Waxwings roam around until they find just the right berries at the proper ripeness. Then they devour all they can stomach.

Sometimes overripe berries ferment. Yes, drunken cedar waxwings are a thing.

Cedar waxwings are comfortable around people. They have no problem gleaning berries from ornamental trees in populated areas. Ornamentals in shopping malls are a favorite. They scarcely notice when people walk out of the supermarket, wheeling a grocery cart right by the tree.

In the spring, before new berries come out, waxwings eat blossoms. They particularly like blossoms on apple and cherry trees. A few weeks later, wild strawberries are often the first fruit to ripen. Waxwings are commonly seen rising off the ground as they pluck the tiny berries off the stems.

By early summer, while still waiting for fruit to grow, waxwings will typically feed on flying insects. They are not as nimble in the air as swallows, but close. They compensate by flying from perches to snatch unwary bugs, or swooping over rivers and wetlands to grab a bite.

Cedar waxwings can also glean insects from vegetation, like warblers. Their ability to get food from multiple sources, using a variety of foraging strategies, has made the species particularly resilient. Populations have remained stable for decades, and are even increasing in some regions.

Cedar waxwings nest as far north as Hudson Bay, across most Canadian provinces. They nest as far south as Virginia, or even lower in the Appalachian highlands. Once off the nest, they can wander as far south as Panama.

Wandering birds share a characteristic. Long-distance migrants often have longer wings.

Nomadic birds may also fly long distances, but they do it in short hops. The most efficient way to fly with shorter wings is by quick bursts of flapping, then folding the wings into the body and coasting. This gives birds a bouncy look in flight.

It’s particularly noticeable with finches and waxwings.

Birds that flock are usually noisy. Songs and calls help keep the flock together. Cedar waxwings are frequently heard before they are seen. Their reedy whistle is unlike any other bird call, except for their close cousins, Bohemian waxwings.

Bohemian waxwings are slightly larger and grayer than cedar waxwings. They nest farther north, with a range that extends over most of Alaska. They are also nomads. Even though their home range is west of the Great Lakes, they regularly sweep eastward in big flocks in search of winter fruit.

Cedar and Bohemian waxwings will likely invade this winter, and they don’t mind sharing each other’s company. Some flocks of cedar waxwings are already here.

Be sure to show them to your fourth-grader.