Cedar Waxwing

A striking tail feather from a Cedar Waxwing. The bird is a sleek, crested passerine with a soft brown and grey body, a black mask outlined in white, and unique red waxy tips on its wing feathers. Its most diagnostic tail feature is the bright yellow band seen here.

Charcoal to slaty grey base color transitioning into a deep black subterminal band, topped with a brilliant, saturated lemon-yellow terminal band. This yellow tip is created by carotenoid pigments derived from the bird's diet.

Tightly interlocked (pennaceous) throughout most of the vane for structural integrity during flight, becoming slightly plumulaceous (fluffy) near the superior umbilicus at the base.

Smooth, silky, and slightly glossy. Waxwings are known for their exceptionally sleek plumage, which appears almost blended or airbrushed on the living bird.

The vivid lemon-yellow terminal tip on a slate-grey and black feather is unique to waxwings in North America.

Open woodlands, orchards, suburban gardens, and riparian areas rich in berry-producing trees and shrubs.

Breeds across southern Canada and the northern United States; winters throughout the U.S., Mexico, and Central America. Highly nomadic depending on fruit availability.

Specialized frugivore; they play a critical role in seed dispersal for many native woody plants.

Bohemian Waxwing (Bombycilla garrulus) feathers are very similar but the bird is larger and generally found further north or in the West; Bohemian feathers often show more extensive white/yellow on wings, but tail tips are nearly identical.

The yellow color of the tail tip can sometimes turn orange if the bird consumes berries from a specific non-native honeysuckle (Lonicera morrowii) while the feather is growing.

Good condition; the terminal band is vibrant and the vane is mostly intact, though there is minor fraying at the very base near the calamus.