Adult Cedar Waxwing with several red, waxlike tips on secondary wing feathers (photo by Gary Shackelford).
Cedar Waxwings are named for the bright red, waxlike tips on the secondary flight feathers of adult birds. For unknown reasons, the number of these tips varies. The “cedar” portion of the common name is derived from their fondness for the small fruits of the eastern red cedar. Waxwings are common summer residents and less common winter residents at Fair Meadows. Early fall is a time of transition. They are late breeders and will nest into late August. After breeding is over, adults and juveniles gather in mixed flocks and move through the landscape in search of fruits, but they also turn to flycatching to supplement their frugivorous diet. I have watched waxwings in late summer sallying over ponds and streams from nearby vegetation to capture insect prey in midair.
When I was photographing this flycatching behavior one year, I saw a few individuals, both adults and juveniles, sporting orange-tipped tail feathers rather than the usual yellow-tipped ones. On investigating this phenomenon, I discovered that Cedar Waxwings with orange-banded tails have been observed in the U.S. and Canada since the early 1960s. This has been attributed to the ingestion during molt of the fruits of introduced exotic honeysuckles (Lonicera spp.), causing deposition of rhodoxanthin, a red carotenoid pigment, in combination with the normal yellow carotenoids. Feathers that form after exotic honeysuckle fruits are eliminated from the diet have yellow tips.
Cedar Waxwings are not the only bird species whose plumage color varies with diet. Many feather colors, especially reds, oranges, and yellows, come from certain pigments that birds eat every day. Plumage coloration of adult male House Finches varies from yellow to orange to bright red, depending on the ratio of different carotenoids in their diet. Other familiar birds whose plumage color or brightness is affected by diet include flamingos, Northern Cardinals, American Goldfinches, and Yellow Warblers.
Cedar Waxing in a mulberry tree showing no waxy-tipped wing feathers (photo by Gary Shackelford).
It can be shocking to witness how rapidly a flock of waxwings can consume some of their favored fruits on a tree or shrub. I have seen a flock of waxwings strip an entire year’s crop of fruits from an elderberry or red cedar over the course of a day or two. This fascinating behavior always gives me an opportunity to observe and photograph these gregarious and highly entertaining birds.
Written by Gary Shackelford, Fair Meadows Sanctuary resident manager
Cover image by Gary Shackelford. An adult Cedar Waxwing consuming the berries of eastern red cedar.
