Waxwing
Waxwing, a trim, sleek, crested bird with a notably dignified, erect posture when perched. Waxwings are usually seen in flocks. They live largely on fruits, but also eat large numbers of insects. Waxwings do some damage in orchards, but the bulk of their diet consists of wild fruits such as cedar berries, juniper berries, and chokecherries. The nest is placed in trees from 5 to 20 feet (1.5 to 6 m) above the ground. The three to six eggs are blue-gray marked with many dark brown or black spots.
There are three species of waxwings: the cedar, Bohemian, and Japanese. The general color of the birds is a soft brownish gray. Bright red spots of pigment resembling dabs of sealing wax mark the shorter wing feathers of the cedar and Bohemian waxwings. A yellow band crosses the tips of their tail feathers. The Japanese wax wing has a red band at the end of its tail, and its wings are tipped with red.
The cedar waxwing grows to about eight inches (20 cm) long. It breeds chiefly in Canada and the northern half of the United States. The bird winters in the United States and southward to Panama. The Bohemian waxwing, which grows to almost nine inches (23 cm) long, breeds chiefly in western Alaska and the northern half of Canada. It winters in southern Canada and the northern United States. The Japanese waxwing grows about 6 1/2 inches (16.5 cm) long. It is found only in northeastern Asia.
The cedar waxwing is Bombycilla cedrorum; the Bohemian, B. garrulus; the Japanese, B. japonica. The waxwing family is Bombycillidae.