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Many birds have high-pitched sounds. Many of these toots sound just like a whistle. When you hear a bird that sounds remarkably similar to a slide whistle, you are probably listening to the musical efforts of the Cedar Waxwing.
The scientific name for the Cedar Waxwing is Bombycilla cedrorum. They often call out during mid-flight and are classified as medium-sized birds. Their feathers are commonly a mix of brown, gray, and yellow.
These birds have a wax-strip-like structure on their wings hence the cute name. A close relative of these birds is the Bohemian Waxwing. The difference between the two is that Cedars are smaller and browner.
Waxwing Habitat
Cedar Waxwings dwell in deciduous, blended, and coniferous forests. They love areas next to streams and fields, meadows, sagebrush, and even deserts. Waxwing birds are progressively moving into towns and people’s gardens as well.
In colder times, Cedar Waxwing birds generally clamor around fruit-bearing plants in forests.
Waxwing Diet
Cedar Waxwings feed on serviceberry, raspberries, dogwood, strawberry, and mulberry. They also love cedar berries – another reason why they are named Cedar Waxwings! Additionally, they also consume madrone, crab apple, Russian olives, mistletoe, honeysuckle, juniper, and hawthorn berries.
Cedar Waxwings also get their proteins by eating stoneflies, mayflies, and dragonflies. They likewise hunt scale bugs, tidy budworms, and leaf bugs.
Nesting Areas
A breeding pair will search for the perfect nesting site together but the female makes the final choice. Favorite trees appear to be apple, red cedar, pine, white cedar, pear, hawthorn, and pod oak. Cedar waxwings nest in vertical forks, plant tangles, or on a solitary level branch.
Female waxwings do most of the nest-building and use twigs, string, cattail down, grasses, horsehair, blooms, and other soft materials. These are woven into a big cup which is then lined with pine needles, grasses, and fine roots.
It takes about a week and 2,500 trips to find material to build a Waxwing nest. Interestingly, Waxwings often save time by stealing material from other birds’ nests!
Quick Facts For You
- Grasp Size: eggs (2-6)
- Broods: 1-2
- Egg Height: 1.6-2.9 cm
- Egg breadth: 1.4-1.8 cm
- Hatching Time: max 13 days
- Nestling Time: max 18 days
- Egg description: Dark blue or pale blue dark shell spotted with dark or dim blotches
- New hatchlings: Visually impaired, naked, vulnerable, feeble, and calm. Babies weigh around 3.1 grams, somewhat more than 1/10 an ounce.
Cedar Waxwing Behavior
Cedar Waxwings are social birds that often form large flocks. They can regularly be found in groups of twelve or more. Waxwings like to eat berries and will often pick something around them, even when they’re just roosting.
When hunting for bugs, waxwings prefer to make lengthy, crisscrossing trips over streams. While courting, a pair will hop towards each other and touch bills. Males regularly bring “gifts” to their partners, like a bug or bloom. Very often, a female will reciprocate and offer the male a gift in return. They rehash this a couple of times until the pair decides to stay together.
Protection Status
The Cedar Waxwing population remained steady between 1967 and 2015. Several surveys found that the species numbered 52 million worldwide.
On the Continental Concern score list, Waxwings rate a 6 out of 20. The reduction of Cedar Waxwing populaces is presumably to some degree a result of fields being turned into timberlands and shrublands.
Cedar Waxwings are prone to flying into windows and getting struck by cars. The latter is due to their habit of eating fruit and bugs next to busy roads.
How to Attract These Birds
To attract Cedar Waxwing birds to your garden, make sure to plant more food-producing trees for them. Some suggestions include cedar, dogwood, juniper, serviceberry, winterberry, and hawthorn.
These birds regularly visit patios where people leave bread for them. However, never feed any bird white bread. It’s dangerous for them. Rather put out seeds, berries, and fruit for Waxwings.
A Quick Summary
The two normal calls of these birds are whistles and buzzy quavers, roughly about a half-second long. Many describe the call of the Cedar Waxwing as a high, slender whistle.
Even though their habitat is threatened, these birds are considered of the least concern, according to conservationists. Their courtship includes a ‘hopping dance’ and females create the nests. They also love to live in fruit or berry trees that keep them in close proximity to their favorite snacks.