There, across the lawn, do you see him? Dressed in regal, silky finery in earth tones, punctuated by red and yellow, sporting a mysterious black mask? This dapper gent would look at home at any masquerade ball, but won’t likely receive an invitation to the next high society event. He’s not even human- he’s a cedar waxwing!
Cedar waxwings are medium sized passerine birds known to inhabit a variety of environments including liminal spaces, especially during the summer mating season. While they can be found on Long Island year-round, cedar waxwings are a migratory species that travel as far south as northern South America during the winter and as far north as central Canada during the warmer months. Cedar waxwings are highly social, and often groom one another and take part in elaborate mating rituals. Their diet primarily consists of fruits and berries, supplemented by insect protein during the summer. Flocks of these birds can number in the thousands during breeding seasons and have to constantly keep moving in search of food- occasionally running them afoul of fruit farmers. Cedar waxwings also don’t shy away from overripe or fallen fruit and can become inebriated if the fruit is fermented!
Often confused with their cousins, bohemian waxwings, cedar waxwings can be differentiated by their smaller size, lightly colored undertail feathers, lack of a white wing bar and less rufous coloration. While slightly different in physical appearance, the two species share the eponymous “waxwing”, a red wax drop-like cuticle covering the tips of certain wing feathers, believed to help the birds attract mates and denote age and status within a flock. Certain cedar waxwings have even been known to develop different colored plumage depending on their diet, including individuals who grew orange tail feather tips after eating non-native honeysuckle berries.
This amazing species can be found at the Quogue Wildlife Refuge, especially around the Nature Center during the fall when the trees are ripe with berries. Grab your binoculars and come on down to see these and other fantastic bird species today!
By Jake Kommer