Bohemian Waxwing

The Bohemian Waxwing (Bombycilla garrulus) is a sleek, starling-sized passerine known for its striking crest, colorful accents, and highly social, nomadic lifestyle. Found in the northernmost forests of the globe, this elegant bird travels in massive, synchronized flocks during the winter months. Its name 'Bohemian' refers to its wandering, gypsy-like movements, as flocks roam unpredictably across wide geographies in search of winter fruit crops. Highly adapted to cold climates, they are regular winter visitors to northern towns and suburban areas.

Identifying a Bohemian Waxwing relies on looking for key differences in its plumage and size compared to its close relatives:

• Body & Coloration: Mostly soft, grayish-brown plumage all over, with a warm peach or rufous wash around its face. Unlike the Cedar Waxwing, its breast and belly are predominantly gray rather than olive-yellow.
• Undertail Coverts: A key diagnostic field mark is the rich, rusty-red undertail coverts beneath the tail (which are white on the Cedar Waxwing).
• Wings: The wings feature bold white and yellow markings along the flight feathers, tipped with brilliant, red plastic-like waxy secretions on the secondary feathers.
• Head: Features a prominent, swept-back crest, a sharp black mask outlined in white, and a distinct black chin patch.

Bohemian Waxwings breed across the circumpolar boreal forest zones (taiga) of Alaska, northern Canada, Scandinavia, and Siberia. They prefer open coniferous or mixed-wood forests, often near muskegs and water. During the winter, their range becomes highly variable. Operating as irruptive migrants, they travel south in massive flocks to areas where food is abundant. In these wintering grounds, they utilize urban parks, gardens, orchards, and riparian woodlands loaded with ornamental berry-producing plants.

These birds are incredibly social and are rarely seen alone, often moving in tightly packed flocks that fly in synchronized, wheeling formations resembling starlings or shorebirds.

• Feeding: They are highly specialized frugivores in winter, feeding voraciously on mountain ash, juniper, crabapple, and mistletoe. They can eat more than their own weight in berries daily. In summer, they shift to catching insects mid-air over water.
• Vocalization: Their call is a soft, high-pitched, buzzing trill ('sirrr' or 'zee'), which is noticeably lower-pitched and more rattling than the higher hiss-like call of the Cedar Waxwing.
• Nesting: Monogamous pairs build shallow, open-cup nests on horizontal evergreen branches. The nests are constructed using twigs, moss, grass, and lichens, and they are lined with soft hair or feathers.