Cedar Waxwing with Juniper Berries
by Nikolyn McDonald
Title
Cedar Waxwing with Juniper Berries
Artist
Nikolyn McDonald
Medium
Photograph
Description
Cedar waxwings (Bombycilla cedrorum) are mostly brown, yellow, and gray - from light gray to almost black. Medium sized songbirds, they eat fruits, berries, cedar cones and insects. Males and females look alike. They often have a bit of red on the tip of the wing, as here, due to the presence of bright red wax droplets on the feathers. When mature, they have a black mask with a thin, white border. These perching birds are frugivorous, relying almost completely on a diet of sugary fruits, unusual among passerines, most of which eat fruits only when they can’t find other food sources.
It was mid-March in eastern Nebraska when a migrating flock stopped to strip this juniper tree or shrub (Juniperus) of its small blue berries. Junipers are often confused with cedars, but they are members of the cypress family (Cupressaceae) rather than the pine family. Important distinguishing characteristics visible here include flat needles in a branching pattern and blue-gray cones that look like berries (cedars have fan-like needles and brown cones).
Featured: Visions of Spring, Glances of Summer
Uploaded
March 28th, 2023
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