Bohemian Waxwing Identification Guide
What I look like
The Bohemian Waxwing is recognized by its silhouette: it is stocky with a short tail and a crest!
The body plumage is light in beige-pink and gray tones...
with bright colors on the wings and tail: yellow, red, white, and black.
It has a black mask around the eyes and a black throat. The front of the crown and cheeks is reddish.
Its feather crest is long, erectile, and often raised on the head.
Its beak is black and short with a small white commissure.
The feathers under the tail (the undertail coverts) are chestnut.
It is the size of a starling.
My songs, my calls
A group of Bohemian Waxwings is recognized by their contact calls...
High-pitched trilling sounds, like small bells.
Its song is similar to its contact calls: a long succession of high-pitched trills.
How I behave
The waxwings gather in flocks to search for food.
If they don't find enough food, they sometimes visit feeders.
In flight, it is often confused with flocks of starlings.
It is not very shy.
How I reproduce
The Bohemian Waxwing's breeding season extends from March to August.
It produces one brood per year of 4 to 6 blue-gray eggs, spotted with dark.
It nests in spruce trees.
Its nest is a cup made of twigs and lichen.
They nest in northern Europe.
During breeding, the Bohemian Waxwing shifts from a fruit-based to insect-based diet.
During the courtship display, the male offers the female a gift, a small berry that they pass to each other without swallowing it.
What I eat
The Bohemian Waxwing feeds on berries and fruits year-round...
which it finds in shrubs and hedges in orchards, parks, and gardens.
When food is scarce, it migrates in flocks from northern regions to the south.
Some years, these are true invasions!
In winter, the waxwing loves to eat yew berries.
Where to find me
In the warmer season, the Bohemian Waxwing lives in the coniferous and birch forests of the taiga.
The taiga is a region of boreal forests made up of conifers (spruces) and some deciduous trees (birches) in the northern hemisphere.
It occasionally migrates south to find food in winter...
It can then be seen occasionally in Western Europe from October to April.
Outside the breeding season, it is found in wooded areas in trees and shrubs where it can find berries.
It can even be seen in urban parks.