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Fun Facts
Did You Know?
Cedar waxwings are one of the few North American birds that specialize in eating fruit. While most songbirds treat berries as a supplemental food source, waxwings build their entire ecology around fruit consumption — eating berries year-round, raising nestlings on a primarily fruit diet (which kills brown-headed cowbird chicks that cannot develop on such low-protein food), and timing breeding, migration, and winter movements around the availability of fruiting trees and shrubs
If This Animal Could Talk...
"Watch closely, respect my space, and let my habitat explain the rest of the story."
Cedar waxwings look airbrushed. Bombycilla cedrorum wears a silky, smooth coat of pinkish-brown plumage that transitions into lemon-yellow on the belly and pearl-gray on the rump, with a sharp black bandit mask edged in white, a swept-back crest, and a bright yellow band across the tail tip that looks like somebody dipped the tail in paint. Small, waxy red tips on some wing feathers — the feature that gives the entire waxwing family its name — add a final detail of ornamentation that most birds would consider excessive but that waxwings apparently consider the bare minimum.
And then there is the eating. Cedar waxwings eat with an enthusiasm that borders on clinical compulsion. A flock of 200 waxwings descending on a holly tree in a Monroe backyard during March will strip every single berry from the tree in less than an hour, leaving the mockingbird who spent all winter guarding those berries staring at bare branches in silent, territorial fury.
A Few More Facts
How they hunt and forage: Cedar waxwings eat with an enthusiasm that borders on clinical compulsion. While most songbirds treat berries as a supplemental food source, waxwings build their entire ecology around fruit consumption — eating berries year-round, raising nestlings on a primarily fruit diet (which kills brown-headed cowbird chicks that cannot develop on such low-protein food), and timing breeding, migration, and winter movements around the availability of fruiting trees and shrubs. Waxwings eat berries whole — plucking the fruit and swallowing the entire berry in one motion without removing seeds or skin.
Live birth or eggs? no
When young are born: See the detailed species sections below.
Photo Gallery
What Is the Cedar Waxwing Often Confused With?
Cedar waxwings are medium-sized songbirds — about 6 to 7 inches long, weighing roughly an ounce — with a sleek, crested silhouette that distinguishes the species from any other bird in North Louisiana. The plumage is predominantly warm pinkish-brown on the head, chest, and upper back, fading to yellow on the belly and transitioning to gray on the lower back and rump. A black mask lined with thin white borders covers the eyes and extends to the base of the bill. The bright yellow tail band — a narrow stripe of lemon-yellow across the tip of the square tail — provides a reliable identification mark visible in flight and at rest. Males and females look nearly identical, with males showing slightly darker chin coloration that requires close observation in excellent light to distinguish.
Drag the handle left and right to compare Cedar Waxwing side by side with the species it gets mistaken for most.
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Accessibility
Accessibility
Cedar waxwings provide one of the most visually spectacular winter bird encounters in North Louisiana. Flocks of dozens to hundreds of sleek, crested birds descending on a fruiting tree create a display of activity and color that requires no binoculars, no specialized knowledge, and no particular effort beyond noticing the flock. For visitors who are blind or have low vision, the high-pitched, thin sree call — given constantly by flock members in flight and while perched — identifies the species by sound before the birds become visible.
Planting native berry-producing trees and shrubs — holly, eastern red cedar, dogwood, beautyberry, serviceberry — in yards and gardens attracts waxwing flocks during winter and creates observation opportunities within arm's reach of kitchen windows and back porches.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Does Cedar Waxwings live in North Louisiana?
Yes. Cedar waxwings are medium-sized songbirds — about 6 to 7 inches long, weighing roughly an ounce — with a sleek, crested silhouette that distinguishes the species from any other bird in North Louisiana. In North Louisiana during winter, waxwing flocks target whatever berry-producing species carry fruit: holly, eastern red cedar (the tree that gives the bird its common name), privet, dogwood, hackberry, beautyberry, poison ivy berries, wild grape, and anything else that produces a small, swallowable fruit. Winter Flocks in North Louisiana.
How do you identify Cedar Waxwings?
Cedar waxwings are medium-sized songbirds — about 6 to 7 inches long, weighing roughly an ounce — with a sleek, crested silhouette that distinguishes the species from any other bird in North Louisiana. The plumage is predominantly warm pinkish-brown on the head, chest, and upper back, fading to yellow on the belly and transitioning to gray on the lower back and rump. A black mask lined with thin white borders covers the eyes and extends to the base of the bill. The bright yellow tail band — a narrow stripe of lemon-yellow across the tip of the square tail — provides a reliable identification mark visible in flight and at rest. Males and females look nearly identical, with males showing slightly darker chin coloration that requires close observation in excellent light to distinguish.
What does Cedar Waxwings eat?
Cedar waxwings eat with an enthusiasm that borders on clinical compulsion. While most songbirds treat berries as a supplemental food source, waxwings build their entire ecology around fruit consumption — eating berries year-round, raising nestlings on a primarily fruit diet (which kills brown-headed cowbird chicks that cannot develop on such low-protein food), and timing breeding, migration, and winter movements around the availability of fruiting trees and shrubs. Waxwings eat berries whole — plucking the fruit and swallowing the entire berry in one motion without removing seeds or skin.
Is Cedar Waxwings dangerous to people?
No. This species is not dangerous to people when it is observed without handling or disturbance
