Cedar Waxwing
Bombycilla cedrorum
The Cedar Waxwing is one of only three waxwing species (family Bombycillidae) worldwide. Their winter range lies within the southern half of the USA, and south through Mexico and Central America. They are resident in the northern half of the USA and southernmost Canada. In summer, the heartiest among them migrate north to latitudes in central Canada, from the Atlantic to the Pacific coasts. These birds breed in open wooded areas.
I’ve enjoyed the company of these sleek and elegant birds not only in California, Arizona, and Oregon, but as far north as British Columbia and southern Alaska, and as far south as south Texas.
My favorite encounter with Ceder Waxwings came one afternoon in my yard. I enjoy participating in annual Christmas Bird Counts, a citizen science event where folks join together to discover what birds are staying in your neighborhood. We found Cedar Waxwings at a park only two miles from my home, and the following day I took my camera with me to look for them. I struck out finding them at the park, but when I returned home, I found a flock of about 50 Cedar Waxwings and as many American Robins decimating the pyracantha berries in my yard. I watched as the robins and waxwings alternated devouring berries and retreating to the nearby oaks to rest, while the other species took their turn. When they were done, there wasn’t a berry on a stem or on the ground. It was glorious!
Today, science does not recognise any subspecies of Cedar Waxwings (i.e. they are monotypic).
Cedar Waxwing(Bombycilla cedrorum) |
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Description: I found these waxwings and a flock of robins decimating the pyracantha berries in my Poway yard (California). It was glorious! |
Date Taken: 2015:01:07 12:25 |
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Location:
Poway Grove Park |
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Camera Information: NIKON D3X, 800 mm, f/8.0, 1/80 |
File Name: D3X5029-CedarWaxwing |
| © 2015 Jack Daynes, shadeTree-Imaging.com |
Cedar Waxwing(Bombycilla cedrorum) |
|
Description: I found these waxwings and a flock of robins decimating the pyracantha berries in my Poway yard (California). It was glorious! |
Date Taken: 2015:01:07 12:27 |
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Location:
Poway Grove Park |
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Camera Information: NIKON D3X, 800 mm, f/8.0, 1/1000 |
File Name: D3X5054-CedarWaxwing |
| © 2015 Jack Daynes, shadeTree-Imaging.com |
Cedar Waxwing(Bombycilla cedrorum) |
|
Description: I found these waxwings and a flock of robins decimating the pyracantha berries in my Poway yard (California). It was glorious! |
Date Taken: 2015:01:07 12:31 |
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Location:
Poway Grove Park |
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Camera Information: NIKON D3X, 800 mm, f/8.0, 1/1600 |
File Name: D3X5118-CedarWaxwing |
| © 2015 Jack Daynes, shadeTree-Imaging.com |
Cedar Waxwing(Bombycilla cedrorum) |
|
Description: I found these waxwings and a flock of robins decimating the pyracantha berries in my Poway yard (California). It was glorious! |
Date Taken: 2015:01:07 12:33 |
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Location:
Poway Grove Park |
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Camera Information: NIKON D3X, 800 mm, f/8.0, 1/1250 |
File Name: D3X5234-CedarWaxwing |
| © 2015 Jack Daynes, shadeTree-Imaging.com |
Cedar Waxwing(Bombycilla cedrorum) |
|
Description: I found these waxwings and a flock of robins decimating the pyracantha berries in my Poway yard (California). It was glorious! |
Date Taken: 2015:01:07 12:34 |
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Location:
Poway Grove Park |
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Camera Information: NIKON D3X, 800 mm, f/8.0, 1/1600 |
File Name: D3X5244-CedarWaxwing |
| © 2015 Jack Daynes, shadeTree-Imaging.com |
Cedar Waxwing(Bombycilla cedrorum) |
|
Description: I found these waxwings and a flock of robins decimating the pyracantha berries in my Poway yard (California). It was glorious! |
Date Taken: 2015:01:07 12:41 |
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Location:
Poway Grove Park |
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Camera Information: NIKON D3X, 800 mm, f/8.0, 1/1000 |
File Name: D3X5337-CedarWaxwing |
| © 2015 Jack Daynes, shadeTree-Imaging.com |
Cedar Waxwing(Bombycilla cedrorum) |
|
Description: I found these waxwings and a flock of robins decimating the pyracantha berries in my Poway yard (California). It was glorious! |
Date Taken: 2015:01:07 12:42 |
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Location:
Poway Grove Park |
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Camera Information: NIKON D3X, 800 mm, f/8.0, 1/125 |
File Name: D3X5358-CedarWaxwing |
| © 2015 Jack Daynes, shadeTree-Imaging.com |
Cedar Waxwing(Bombycilla cedrorum) |
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Description: I met this bird along Link River Trail, upstream from where the Klamath River feeds into Lake Ewauna at Veteran's Park in Klamath Falls Oregon. |
Date Taken: 2015:06:05 10:45 |
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Location:
Link River |
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Camera Information: NIKON D3X, 800 mm, f/8.0, 1/400 |
File Name: D3X8714-CedarWaxwing |
| © 2015 Jack Daynes, shadeTreeImaging.com |
Cedar Waxwing(Bombycilla cedrorum) |
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Description: Charlie Lake Provincial Park, British Columbia, Canada. |
Date Taken: 2005:06:09 17:51 |
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Location:
Charlie Lake |
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Camera Information: NIKON D2X, 550 mm, f/5.6, 1/80 |
File Name: JCD4008CedarWaxWing |
| © 2005 Jack Daynes, shadeTreeImaging.com |
Cedar Waxwing(Bombycilla cedrorum) |
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Description: Charlie Lake Provincial Park, British Columbia, Canada. |
Date Taken: 2005:06:09 17:52 |
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Location:
Charlie Lake |
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Camera Information: NIKON D2X, 550 mm, f/5.6, 1/80 |
File Name: JCD4016CedarWaxWing |
| © 2005 Jack Daynes, shadeTreeImaging.com |
Cedar Waxwing(Bombycilla cedrorum) |
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Description: Charlie Lake Provincial Park, British Columbia, Canada. |
Date Taken: 2005:06:09 18:02 |
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Location:
Charlie Lake |
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Camera Information: NIKON D2X, 550 mm, f/5.6, 1/250 |
File Name: JCD4029CedarWaxWing |
| © 2005 Jack Daynes, shadeTreeImaging.com |
Cedar Waxwing(Bombycilla cedrorum) |
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Description: Charlie Lake Provincial Park, British Columbia, Canada. |
Date Taken: 2005:06:09 18:02 |
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Location:
Charlie Lake |
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Camera Information: NIKON D2X, 550 mm, f/5.6, 1/250 |
File Name: JCD4032CedarWaxWing |
| © 2005 Jack Daynes, shadeTreeImaging.com |
Cedar Waxwing(Bombycilla cedrorum) |
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Description: Charlie Lake Provincial Park, British Columbia, Canada. |
Date Taken: 2005:06:09 18:06 |
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Location:
Charlie Lake |
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Camera Information: NIKON D2X, 370 mm, f/5.6, 1/250 |
File Name: JCD4035CedarWaxWing |
| © 2005 Jack Daynes, shadeTreeImaging.com |
Cedar Waxwing(Bombycilla cedrorum) |
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Description: Fish Creek, near Hyder, in extreme southeastern Alaska. |
Date Taken: 2005:07:20 10:18 |
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Location:
Fish Creek |
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Camera Information: NIKON D2X, 550 mm, f/6.3, 1/60 |
File Name: JCD9746CedarWaxwing |
| © 2005 Jack Daynes, shadeTreeImaging.com |
Cedar Waxwing(Bombycilla cedrorum) |
|
Description: Charlie Lake Provincial Park, British Columbia, Canada. |
Date Taken: 2005:06:09 17:53 |
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Location:
Charlie Lake |
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Camera Information: NIKON D2X, 550 mm, f/5.6, 1/200 |
File Name: JCD4025CedarWaxWing |
| © 2005 Jack Daynes, shadeTreeImaging.com |
Cedar Waxwing(Bombycilla cedrorum) |
|
Description: Charlie Lake Provincial Park, British Columbia, Canada. |
Date Taken: 2005:06:09 17:52 |
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Location:
Charlie Lake |
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Camera Information: NIKON D2X, 550 mm, f/5.6, 1/80 |
File Name: JCD4017CedarWaxWing |
| © 2005 Jack Daynes, shadeTreeImaging.com |
Cedar Waxwing(Bombycilla cedrorum) |
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Description: Many birds, such as these juvenile Cedar Waxwings, are attracted to the stored water in Ayer Lake at the Boyce-Thompson Arboretum near Superior Arizona is a well known desert oasis and a great place to meet birds. |
Date Taken: 2019:10:23 17:10 |
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Location:
Boyce-Thompson Arboretum |
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Camera Information: NIKON D5, 800 mm, f/8.0, 1/2000 |
File Name: CedarWaxwing-Juvenile_D5X4835-Boyce-Thompson-Arboretum |
| © 2019 Jack Daynes, shadeTreeImaging.com |
Cedar Waxwing(Bombycilla cedrorum) |
|
Description: Many birds, such as these juvenile Cedar Waxwings, are attracted to the stored water in Ayer Lake at the Boyce-Thompson Arboretum near Superior Arizona is a well known desert oasis and a great place to meet birds. |
Date Taken: 2019:10:23 17:06 |
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Location:
Boyce-Thompson Arboretum |
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Camera Information: NIKON D5, 800 mm, f/8.0, 1/2500 |
File Name: CedarWaxwing-Juvenile_D5X4776-Boyce-Thompson-Arboretum |
| © 2019 Jack Daynes, shadeTreeImaging.com |
Cedar Waxwing(Bombycilla cedrorum) |
|
Description: Many birds, such as these juvenile Cedar Waxwings, are attracted to the stored water in Ayer Lake at the Boyce-Thompson Arboretum near Superior Arizona is a well known desert oasis and a great place to meet birds. |
Date Taken: 2019:10:23 16:03 |
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Location:
Boyce-Thompson Arboretum |
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Camera Information: NIKON D5, 800 mm, f/8.0, 1/3200 |
File Name: CedarWaxwing-Juvenile_D5X4406-Boyce-Thompson-Arboretum |
| © 2019 Jack Daynes, shadeTreeImaging.com |
Cedar Waxwing(Bombycilla cedrorum) |
|
Description: Many birds, such as these juvenile Cedar Waxwings, are attracted to the stored water in Ayer Lake at the Boyce-Thompson Arboretum near Superior Arizona is a well known desert oasis and a great place to meet birds. |
Date Taken: 2019:10:23 15:09 |
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Location:
Boyce-Thompson Arboretum |
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Camera Information: NIKON D5, 800 mm, f/8.0, 1/2500 |
File Name: CedarWaxwing-Juvenile_D5X4019-Boyce-Thompson-Arboretum |
| © 2019 Jack Daynes, shadeTreeImaging.com |
Cedar Waxwing(Bombycilla cedrorum) |
|
Description: Many birds, such as these juvenile Cedar Waxwings, are attracted to the stored water in Ayer Lake at the Boyce-Thompson Arboretum near Superior Arizona is a well known desert oasis and a great place to meet birds. |
Date Taken: 2019:10:23 15:09 |
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Location:
Boyce-Thompson Arboretum |
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Camera Information: NIKON D5, 800 mm, f/8.0, 1/3200 |
File Name: CedarWaxwing-Juvenile_D5X3989-Boyce-Thompson-Arboretum |
| © 2019 Jack Daynes, shadeTreeImaging.com |
Cedar Waxwing(Bombycilla cedrorum) |
|
Description: I found these waxwings and a flock of robins decimating the pyracantha berries in my Poway yard (California). It was glorious! |
Date Taken: 2015:01:07 12:25 |
|
Location:
Poway Grove Park |
|
Camera Information: NIKON D3X, 800 mm, f/8.0, 1/80 |
File Name: CedarWaxwing_D3X5029 |
| © 2015 Jack Daynes, shadeTree-Imaging.com |
Cedar Waxwing(Bombycilla cedrorum) |
|
Description: I found these waxwings and a flock of robins decimating the pyracantha berries in my Poway yard (California). It was glorious! |
Date Taken: 2015:01:07 12:24 |
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Location:
Poway Grove Park |
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Camera Information: NIKON D3X, 800 mm, f/8.0, 1/640 |
File Name: D3X5003-CedarWaxwing |
| © 2015 Jack Daynes, shadeTree-Imaging.com |
Cedar Waxwing(Bombycilla cedrorum) |
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Description: Roadside stop at Sisters Rocks, north of Ophir Oregon to the side of US-101. |
Date Taken: 2017:09:08 14:18 |
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Location:
Sisters Rocks |
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Camera Information: NIKON D5, 800 mm, f/8.0, 1/2000 |
File Name: CedarWaxwing_D5X0123-Ophir-Oregon |
| © 2017 Jack Daynes, shadeTreeImaging.com |
Cedar Waxwing(Bombycilla cedrorum) |
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Description: Roadside stop at Sisters Rocks, north of Ophir Oregon to the side of US-101. |
Date Taken: 2017:09:08 14:15 |
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Location:
Sisters Rocks |
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Camera Information: NIKON D5, 800 mm, f/16.0, 1/1000 |
File Name: CedarWaxwing_D5X0088-Ophir-Oregon |
| © 2017 Jack Daynes, shadeTreeImaging.com |
Cedar Waxwing(Bombycilla cedrorum) |
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Description: Cedar Waxwings aren’t rare in Texas, but we enjoyed their company. Tuesday night’s winds at South Padre Island (Texas) did not produce the big warbler fallout we hoped for at the Convention Center. Still, there were several birding surprises in store for those of us who showed up to find birds. |
Date Taken: 2021:05:06 12:19 |
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Location:
Convention Center |
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Camera Information: NIKON D5, 800 mm, f/8.0, 1/1000 |
File Name: CedarWaxwing_D5X6722_SPI-ConventionCtr |
| © 2021 Jack Daynes, shadeTreeImaging.com |
Cedar Waxwing(Bombycilla cedrorum) |
|
Description: Cedar Waxwings aren’t rare in Texas, but we enjoyed their company. Tuesday night’s winds at South Padre Island (Texas) did not produce the big warbler fallout we hoped for at the Convention Center. Still, there were several birding surprises in store for those of us who showed up to find birds. |
Date Taken: 2021:05:06 16:40 |
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Location:
South Padre Island WBC |
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Camera Information: NIKON D5, 800 mm, f/8.0, 1/6000 |
File Name: CedarWaxwing_D5X7158_SPI-BirdAndNatureCTR |
| © 2021 Jack Daynes, shadeTreeImaging.com |
Cedar Waxwing(Bombycilla cedrorum) |
|
Description: I found a flock of waxwings and robins decimating the pyracantha berries in my Poway yard (California). It was glorious! |
Date Taken: 2015:01:07 12:31 |
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Location:
Poway Grove Park |
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Camera Information: NIKON D3X, 800 mm, f/8.0, 1/1250 |
File Name: D3X5150-CedarWaxwing |
| © 2015 Jack Daynes, shadeTreeImaging.com |
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