Cedar Waxwing Photo Gallery
Adult
A silky smooth songbird with a black mask, tan head and breast, yellow belly, and grayish-brown upperparts. The tail has a yellow band at the tip, and some wing feathers have waxy red tips.
© Malcolm Gold / Macaulay LibraryMinnesota, June 07, 2014Adult
Frequently sits on high, exposed perches, where easily seen and heard.
© Peter Hawrylyshyn / Macaulay LibraryOntario, June 21, 2020Adult
In the fall and winter Cedar Waxwings gather by the hundreds to eat berries, which they swallow whole.
© Timothy Barksdale / Macaulay LibraryJanuary 01, 1996Not all videos have soundAdult
Prominent crest. Black mask with peachy brown head and chest, pale yellow belly, and yellow tip to dark tail. Sometimes has red tips to the secondaries of the wing.
© Ian Davies / Macaulay LibraryMassachusetts, February 19, 2011Juvenile
Juveniles are more heavily marked than adults, with dusky streaks below, and have a fainter dark mask.
© Jay McGowan / Macaulay LibraryNew York, August 07, 2020Adult
Often perches at the tops of trees with bare twigs.
© Jay McGowan / Macaulay LibraryMontana, June 20, 2015Not all videos have soundAdult
Some birds are less intensely colored, and lack the red feather tips in the wing.
© Evan Lipton / Macaulay LibraryMassachusetts, March 13, 2015Adult
Yellow tail band is influenced by diet—birds that feed on exotic honeysuckle berries develop orange tail bands.
© Russ Morgan / Macaulay LibraryOregon, August 24, 2020Adult
Sings a very high pitched, thin song. Its long, slender body and crested head helps separate it from other species.
© Benjamin Clock / Macaulay LibraryNew York, May 30, 2011Not all videos have soundAdult
Foraging birds often perch acrobatically at the tips of thin branches.
© Jeffrey Schaarschmidt / Macaulay LibraryTennessee, January 14, 2017Juvenile
Juvenile is grayish-brown above, with coarsely streaked underparts. It lacks the adult's crest and waxy red wingtips.
© Lorri Howski 🦋 / Macaulay LibraryWisconsin, January 04, 2020Adult
In the fall and winter forms large flocks, devouring fruit wherever they can find it.
© Bret Whitney / Macaulay LibraryTexas, March 11, 2010Not all videos have soundFlock
Flocks sometimes descend to puddles to drink and bathe.
© Esteban Matías (birding guide) Sierra de los Cuchumatanes Huehuetenango esteban.matias@hotmail.com +502 53810540 / Macaulay LibraryHuehuetenango, February 06, 2021Flock
Gathers in large flocks in autumn and winter, filling the air with high, thin, whistles.
© Jay McGowan / Macaulay LibraryNew York, March 18, 2018Flock
Often in large flocks, especially during the winter months.
© Dennis Cooke / Macaulay LibraryTexas, March 10, 2017
Don't miss a thing! Join our email list
The Cornell Lab will send you updates about birds,
birding, and opportunities to help bird conservation.