Naturalist's Corner - A Cedar Waxwing Celebration

This month, I thought it would be fun to have us take a closer look at a beautiful bird that is a treat to see in winter in out area. Our guest naturalist today to tell us more about this lovely bird is Jon Rigdon. He does very informative blog posts on the flora, fauna and ecosystems of the Driftless prairie areas at the Friends of the Blufflands blog . Jon is a retired physician and loves spending time learning about and appreciating nature while trying to inspire others to do the same. He is a board member of Friends of the Blufflands and The Prairie Enthusiasts. He spends a lot of time by himself and leading groups to restore habitats, focusing on nearby remnant prairies such as in Hixon Forest. 

This February 16, 2025  post, Cedar Waxwings on the Bluff in Winter! by Jonathan Rigdon from the  Friends of the Blufflands blog is reprinted with permission.

On February 7th while working on the bluffs, a lone cedar waxwing paid us a visit. Usually present in flocks, it was sitting alone in a bush, rather passive and undisturbed by our presence. In fact, it let me get within a few feet to take this photo with my phone before sluggishly flying off to another nearby bush. What a wonderful sight to see on a cold, windy day!

Image - Jon Rigdon

Although it is said that many cedar waxwings migrate south, some choose to stay in Wisconsin in the winter if there are enough berries present, which they feed on almost exclusively during these months. In fact, the name "cedar" comes from the fact that one of its favorite fruits in fall and winter are red cedar berries...which is not actually a cedar, but is really a juniper. So, maybe we should start calling it the "Juniper Waxwing"! And maybe that's why all of those red cedars keep popping up on the bluff prairies courtesy of this bird!

Here are some "Cool Facts" about this bird from the Cornell Lab of Ornithology:

• The name "waxwing" comes from the waxy red secretions found on the tips of the secondaries of some birds. The exact function of these tips is not known, but they may help attract mates.

• Cedar Waxwings with orange instead of yellow tail tips began appearing in the northeastern U.S. and southeastern Canada in the 1960s. The orange color is the result of a red pigment picked up from the berries of an introduced species of honeysuckle. If a waxwing eats enough of the berries while it is growing a tail feather, the tip of the feather will be orange.

• The Cedar Waxwing is one of the few North American birds that specializes in eating fruit. It can survive on fruit alone for several months. Brown-headed Cowbirds that are raised in Cedar Waxwing nests typically don’t survive, in part because the cowbird chicks can’t develop on such a high-fruit diet.

• Many birds that eat a lot of fruit separate out the seeds and regurgitate them, but the Cedar Waxwing lets them pass right through. Scientists have used this trait to estimate how fast waxwings can digest fruits.

• Because they eat so much fruit, Cedar Waxwings occasionally become intoxicated or even die when they run across overripe berries that have started to ferment and produce alcohol.

• Building a nest takes a female Cedar Waxwing 5 to 6 days and may require more than 2,500 individual trips to the nest. They occasionally save time by taking nest materials from other birds’ nests, including nests of Eastern Kingbirds, Yellow-throated Vireos, orioles, robins, and Yellow Warblers.

• The oldest recorded Cedar Waxwing was a male and at least 7 years, 1 month old when he was recaptured and rereleased during banding operations in Maryland in 2014. He was originally banded in the same state in 2008.

As said, these birds are known to become intoxicated from eating fermented berries in the winter. Maybe our little fellow was off by itself and let us get so close because he was drunk! Unfortunately, these beautiful birds eat and spread a wide variety of berries, including the plants we battle on the prairie such as honeysuckle, Oriental bittersweet, barberry, and buckthorn. But what a joy to have this amazing bird out there making a living in the subzero temperatures of Wisconsin while adding color to the drab months of winter!

Thanks Jon and thanks to The Friends of the Blufflands for the great blog!