365 Urban Species. #078: Cedar Waxwing

Urban Species #078: Cedar waxwing Bombycilla cedrorum

One of the most attractive birds found in the city is the cedar waxwing. It appears in gregarious flocks of a dozen to more than a hundred. It's buzzy, insect-like trill will draw your attention, and then you see their smooth crests, or their black masks, or the band of yellow at the tip of their tail. Invariably you will see them in a fruit tree, or on their way to one. Cedar waxwings are the most frugivorous of all birds occurring in temperate zones. Because they eat almost only fleshy fruit, they must be constantly on the move to find fruit that is in season, or is persisting from the previous year.

Landscaping with fruit-bearing trees and shrubs has been a boon to these birds. According to Cornell University, "From 1965 to 1979, the population [of cedar waxwings in eastern North America] doubled." These birds, along with other fruit-eaters like the American robin and the Northern mockingbird, help the spread of invasive plants such as honeysuckle, Russian olive, and multiflora rose. Cedar waxwing flocks have been known to be temporarily incapacitated by eating fermented fruit. The poor drunken birds are unable to fly until they sober up.

( Some more waxwings )