Cedar Waxwing
Bombycilla cedrorum
Cedar Waxwings sometimes become intoxicated or 'drunk' after eating fermented berries in the late winter and early spring.
- Scientific name
- Bombycilla cedrorum
- Taxonomy
- Animalia › Chordata › Aves › Passeriformes › Bombycillidae › Bombycilla
- IUCN Red List status
- Least Concern
- Population trend
- increasing
- Biome
- forest
- Habitat
- Open woodlands, orchards, and suburban gardens with abundant fruiting trees and shrubs.
- Diet
- Frugivorous; primarily berries like cedar, holly, and serviceberry, supplemented by insects in summer.
- Range
- North America, Canada, United States, Mexico, Central America
- Size
- 15-18 cm in length with a 22-30 cm wingspan
- Lifespan
- 7-8 years
- Active
- diurnal
- Threats
- Window collisions, domestic cat predation, and lead or pesticide poisoning from treated fruits.
- Safe to approach?
- Harmless. Best observed with binoculars from a distance to avoid startling the flock. If you find a dazed bird near a window, place it in a dark, ventilated box for one hour to recover from the strike before attempting release.
The cedar waxwing ( Bombycilla cedrorum ) is a member of the family Bombycillidae or waxwing family of passerine birds. It is a medium-sized, mostly brown, gray, and yellow. This bird is named for its wax-like wing tips. It is a native of North and Central America, breeding in open wooded areas in southern Canada and wintering in the southern half of the United States, Central America, and the far northwest of South America. Its diet includes cedar...
Photo: Christian Back, CC-BY, via iNaturalist
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