Those charming deadbeats, the waxwings

By BILL CHAISSON
Of a Feather
It usually happens the same way. I am walking along, and slowly I realize I am hearing high-pitched quavering calls somewhere up in the trees. They aren’t very loud, but they are persistent, and they are always coming from a number of individuals. In spite of their frequency, these calls don’t sound particularly urgent. They decrease slightly in pitch toward the end and slur a little, giving the impression of distraction.

Once they have my attention, I start looking for the makers of these calls. Generally they are out toward the ends of tree and shrub branches because they are enthusiastic consumers of fruit. They aren’t furtive. In fact, they are generally easy to spot, as they often flutter around quite a bit while foraging, often hovering in front of cluster of berries.

They are small birds, slightly larger than a sparrow, but crested like a cardinal. Their heads, shoulders, and the tops of their wings are fawn colored. The brown transitions into a blue-gray on the back and rump and down into the primary and secondary feathers and to a soft yellow on the belly. The transitions look air-brushed, and the texture of the feathers appears to be unusually fine.

Their faces are masked in black, edged with white, and the mask seems to wrap around and be tied beneath the crest. The ends of the tail feathers are bright yellow. Occasionally, the tips of the secondary feathers appear to be dipped in red wax. This last feature gives these birds their common name: they are waxwings.

The species normally seen in the northeastern United States is the cedar waxwing. The Bohemian waxwing breeds in northwestern Canada and Alaska, but true to its name roams widely in other seasons and may make its way down into northern New England. The Bohemian bird is larger and a bit flashier, with more white markings on the wings and bright chestnut patches under the tail and around the face.

The cedar waxwing range covers the entire United States and the lower half of Canada. They may wander as far south as Central America. Wandering is what waxwings do. They don’t set up territories when they nest, and they tend to build their nests in loose colonies, never really breaking up their peripatetic foraging groups. Unlike most birds, they don’t have a very regular breeding season. Instead, when they decide to breed seems more a function of when they happen to encounter a plentiful food supply. In this, they resemble some of the northern finches.

According to allaboutbirds.org, a website administered by the Cornell Laboratory of Ornithology, cedar waxwing females choose the nesting site, but that site may be anywhere from 3 to 50 feet off the ground, may be found in many different species of tree, and may be placed in either a vertical fork or on a horizontal branch. Although they love fruit, they also eat all kinds of insects and their larvae. Basically, you are talking about one extremely easy-going bird here.

And if that is not enough, waxwings are also well known for getting a bit wasted on fermented berries. Robins do this too, but since waxwings are more fixated on fruit-eating, you see drunk waxwings more often than tipsy robins. Partying waxwings act eerily like partying teenagers. They get a bit loud and boisterous, squeaking and jostling each other as they consumer ever more berries. Eventually, they start falling off their perches and either hitting the ground with a little bounce or perhaps fluttering in a disorganized way to a new perch. Sometimes they even pass out.

The contrast between birds’ dapper appearance and this disorderly behavior makes all this especially amusing. Waxwings are little symphonies of brown and gray with touches of color added like tasteful jewelry. Coming upon a group of them that are falling down drunk is a bit like stumbling into a preppie wedding reception that has gotten a little out of hand.

Suffice to say, if you want to attract waxwings to your property, you would do well to plant as many fruit-bearing shrubs and trees as you can. You can enjoy the flowers and the bees and butterflies that help set the fruit and, when they inevitably wander through, you can get a laugh out of the waxwings, who are fun even when they’re sober.