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Lifespan, longevity, and ageing

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Maximum longevity: 13.4 years (wild)
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Trophic Strategy

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Bohemian waxwings are frugivorous and insectivorous. The main source of food is sugary fruits. Bohemian waxwings have a large liver which helps convert sugar to energy. They also have the ability to metabolize ethanol from the fermentation of those sugary fruits. Favorite fruits in North America include juniper (Juniperus virginiana) and mountain ash (Sorbus americana). Bohemian waxwings also feed on aerial insects during the summer. In late spring and early summer insects, especially midges (Chironomidae) and mosquitos (Culicidae), make up about 37% of their diet. Insects are also favored during nesting. When preferred food sources are less abundant, they feed on flowers and sap from trees.

Animal Foods: insects

Plant Foods: fruit; flowers; sap or other plant fluids

Primary Diet: carnivore (Insectivore ); herbivore (Frugivore )

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Wilson, C. 2009. "Bombycilla garrulus" (On-line), Animal Diversity Web. Accessed April 27, 2013 at http://animaldiversity.ummz.umich.edu/site/accounts/information/Bombycilla_garrulus.html
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Crystal Wilson, Radford University
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Karen Francl, Radford University
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Tanya Dewey, Animal Diversity Web
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Associations

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Bohemian waxwings are preyed on mainly by birds of prey, including merlins (Falco columbarius), which prey extensively on winter flocks, prairie falcons (Falco mexicanus), rough-legged hawks (Buteo lagopus), and Eurasian sparrowhawks (Accipiter nisus). When approached, Bohemian waxwings adopt a cryptic posture with neck and bill extended skyward while they remain very still. If the cryptic posture fails to be effective, they fly upward and chatter loudly to warn other waxwings of a threat.

Known Predators:

  • merlins (Falco columbarius)
  • prairie falcons (Falco mexicanus)
  • rough-legged hawks (Buteo lagopus)
  • Eurasian sparrowhawks (Accipiter nisus)

Anti-predator Adaptations: cryptic

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Wilson, C. 2009. "Bombycilla garrulus" (On-line), Animal Diversity Web. Accessed April 27, 2013 at http://animaldiversity.ummz.umich.edu/site/accounts/information/Bombycilla_garrulus.html
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Crystal Wilson, Radford University
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Karen Francl, Radford University
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Tanya Dewey, Animal Diversity Web
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Morphology

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Bohemian waxwings are described as starling-sized, having sleek crests, gray overall, with face washed in chestnut. The tip of the tail has a yellow band. Adult males have a throat patch that is larger than that of females and a broader yellow tip to the tail. The common name, "waxwing," comes from the red waxy tips on their secondary feathers. A similar species, cedar waxwings (Bombycilla cedrorum), are smaller, having a pale yellow belly, and wings that are not as colorful. Juvenile Bohemian waxwings have plumage that is more gray than that of adults, with a whitish throat, and streaked underparts.

Range mass: 46.5 to 69.0 g.

Range length: 159 to 203 mm.

Range wingspan: 30 to 36 cm.

Other Physical Features: endothermic ; homoiothermic; bilateral symmetry

Sexual Dimorphism: male larger

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Wilson, C. 2009. "Bombycilla garrulus" (On-line), Animal Diversity Web. Accessed April 27, 2013 at http://animaldiversity.ummz.umich.edu/site/accounts/information/Bombycilla_garrulus.html
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Crystal Wilson, Radford University
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Karen Francl, Radford University
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Tanya Dewey, Animal Diversity Web
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Life Expectancy

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The longest reported lifespan for a banded bird in North America was 5 years 10 months. This species is recorded living as long as 12 years in Europe. The main causes of mortality are predation, competition between similar species, and failure to fully metabolize ethanol produced from the consumption of fruits (intoxication).

Range lifespan
Status: wild:
12 (high) years.

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Wilson, C. 2009. "Bombycilla garrulus" (On-line), Animal Diversity Web. Accessed April 27, 2013 at http://animaldiversity.ummz.umich.edu/site/accounts/information/Bombycilla_garrulus.html
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Crystal Wilson, Radford University
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Karen Francl, Radford University
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Tanya Dewey, Animal Diversity Web
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Habitat

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During the breeding season, Bohemian waxwings are most common in woodlands ranging from coniferous to coniferous-deciduous. This species also inhabits areas around lakes, streams, and swamps. Typically, they inhabit areas where they can forage for fruits and insects in plentiful amounts. During spring and fall migration they abandon woodlands to seek areas high in fruit abundance, including urban habitats. When food resources diminish, they relocate. During winter seasons, Bohemian waxwings are found in woodland or scrub areas with fruit that remains on branches.

Habitat Regions: temperate ; terrestrial

Terrestrial Biomes: taiga ; forest ; scrub forest

Other Habitat Features: urban ; suburban ; agricultural ; riparian

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Wilson, C. 2009. "Bombycilla garrulus" (On-line), Animal Diversity Web. Accessed April 27, 2013 at http://animaldiversity.ummz.umich.edu/site/accounts/information/Bombycilla_garrulus.html
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Crystal Wilson, Radford University
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Karen Francl, Radford University
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Tanya Dewey, Animal Diversity Web
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Distribution

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Bohemian waxwings are native to the Nearctic and Palearctic regions. Their range during times of breeding in the Nearctic region spans as far west as central Alaska and as far east as the central part of Ontario. Most breeding regions do not extend any farther south than the most southern part of British Columbia. They normally do not breed north of Alaska or Nova Scotia. In March and April, this species migrates south to southwest British Columbia and the northern United States. In the Palearctic region breeding occurs in the northern parts of Eurasia, most commonly in Scandinavia, Russia and Siberia. These populations migrate south to central Europe and east to central Japan in the non-breeding season.

Biogeographic Regions: nearctic (Native ); palearctic (Native )

Other Geographic Terms: holarctic

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Wilson, C. 2009. "Bombycilla garrulus" (On-line), Animal Diversity Web. Accessed April 27, 2013 at http://animaldiversity.ummz.umich.edu/site/accounts/information/Bombycilla_garrulus.html
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Crystal Wilson, Radford University
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Karen Francl, Radford University
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Tanya Dewey, Animal Diversity Web
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Associations

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Bohemian waxwings are preyed on by falcons and hawks. They are important seed dispersers and prey on small, flying insects. There are 2 types of protozoan parasites documented in Bohemian waxwings: Leucocytozoon and Trypanosoma.

Ecosystem Impact: disperses seeds

Commensal/Parasitic Species:

  • Leucocytozoon
  • Trypanosoma
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Wilson, C. 2009. "Bombycilla garrulus" (On-line), Animal Diversity Web. Accessed April 27, 2013 at http://animaldiversity.ummz.umich.edu/site/accounts/information/Bombycilla_garrulus.html
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Crystal Wilson, Radford University
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Karen Francl, Radford University
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Tanya Dewey, Animal Diversity Web
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Benefits

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Bohemian waxwings are sought after by bird watchers and they provide important ecosystem services by dispersing the seeds of the fruiting trees and shrubs they eat.

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Wilson, C. 2009. "Bombycilla garrulus" (On-line), Animal Diversity Web. Accessed April 27, 2013 at http://animaldiversity.ummz.umich.edu/site/accounts/information/Bombycilla_garrulus.html
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Crystal Wilson, Radford University
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Karen Francl, Radford University
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Tanya Dewey, Animal Diversity Web
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Benefits

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There are no known adverse effects of Bohemian waxwings on humans.

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Wilson, C. 2009. "Bombycilla garrulus" (On-line), Animal Diversity Web. Accessed April 27, 2013 at http://animaldiversity.ummz.umich.edu/site/accounts/information/Bombycilla_garrulus.html
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Crystal Wilson, Radford University
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Karen Francl, Radford University
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Tanya Dewey, Animal Diversity Web
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Conservation Status

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Bohemian waxwing populations are increasing due to conservation of shrub lands in the United States. Some of the problems facing Bohemian waxwing populations are collisions with windows, automobile collisions, and the toxic effects of pesticides.

US Migratory Bird Act: protected

US Federal List: no special status

CITES: no special status

State of Michigan List: no special status

IUCN Red List of Threatened Species: least concern

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Wilson, C. 2009. "Bombycilla garrulus" (On-line), Animal Diversity Web. Accessed April 27, 2013 at http://animaldiversity.ummz.umich.edu/site/accounts/information/Bombycilla_garrulus.html
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Crystal Wilson, Radford University
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Karen Francl, Radford University
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Tanya Dewey, Animal Diversity Web
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Behavior

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Bohemian waxwings usually communicate through vocalizations, similar to their close relatives, cedar waxwings. Social calls are described as a trilling "zeee". Hatchlings also use a quiet trill with parents. The basic call is a high pitched, rapid trill that has a variety of frequencies and is generally lower in pitch than that of cedar waxwings When mates are within range of each other contact calls are used. These are normally softer and higher in pitch than the social call. A courtship call consists of a very wide frequency spread. Both mates give courtship calls during nest-building and courtship interaction. Females continue to give courtship calls while feeding and sitting in the nest. A disturbance call is normally characterized by a long descending whistle. The disturbance call is used during nest-building and incubation. No injury or begging calls have been reported in Bohemian waxwings.

Communication Channels: visual ; acoustic

Other Communication Modes: duets ; choruses

Perception Channels: visual ; tactile ; acoustic ; chemical

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Wilson, C. 2009. "Bombycilla garrulus" (On-line), Animal Diversity Web. Accessed April 27, 2013 at http://animaldiversity.ummz.umich.edu/site/accounts/information/Bombycilla_garrulus.html
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Crystal Wilson, Radford University
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Karen Francl, Radford University
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Tanya Dewey, Animal Diversity Web
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Reproduction

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Bohemian waxwings find mates during winter and spring flocks through courtship feeding behavior and courtship hopping. Courtship feeding and hopping happens when the male and female are perched and they in turn hop toward one another until they are close enough to touch bills. Once they are close, they pass food or other objects back and forth while hopping away and then back toward the mate before returning the object. This exchange can happen several times. It is thought that red wax on the wings is used to attract females. The older, and potentially more experienced, males have the largest amount of waxy substance on the tips of their secondary feathers. Males with more wax are preferred by females.

Mating System: monogamous

Breeding season of Bohemian waxwings occurs at the same time as the ripening of fruit in the summer. This species breeds later than most birds, even later than their close relatives, cedar waxwings (Bombycilla cedrorum). The typical breeding season is between March and April or as late as May to late June. The typical brood consists of 4 to 6 smooth, glossy eggs that are pale blue-gray marked with black dots and wavy lines. Eggs are sub-elliptical to oval and 25 x 17 mm. Hatchlings are naked, with a red mouth with purple bands and a purplish tongue. Fledging time is 15 to 17 days. Young leave the nest barely able to fly, after 18 days. Fledging occurs from mid-June to mid-August, with most fledging in July.

Breeding interval: Breeding occurs once a year, occasionally twice a year if the first breeding attempt is prior to March.

Breeding season: Breeding occurs from March to late June.

Range eggs per season: 4 to 6.

Range time to hatching: 13 to 14 days.

Range fledging age: 15 to 17 days.

Key Reproductive Features: iteroparous ; seasonal breeding ; gonochoric/gonochoristic/dioecious (sexes separate); sexual ; oviparous

Female Bohemian waxwings incubate their eggs for 14 to 15 days. Although incubation is only completed by females, both females and males feed the young. Males may spend more time feeding the young once they have hatched. Both parents may continue to feed young after fledging for up to two weeks.

Parental Investment: altricial ; pre-fertilization (Provisioning, Protecting: Female); pre-hatching/birth (Provisioning: Female, Protecting: Male, Female); pre-weaning/fledging (Provisioning: Male, Female, Protecting: Male, Female)

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Wilson, C. 2009. "Bombycilla garrulus" (On-line), Animal Diversity Web. Accessed April 27, 2013 at http://animaldiversity.ummz.umich.edu/site/accounts/information/Bombycilla_garrulus.html
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Crystal Wilson, Radford University
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Karen Francl, Radford University
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Tanya Dewey, Animal Diversity Web
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Comprehensive Description

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Adult Bohemian waxwings are medium sized (33.02 cm wingspan and 16-19 cm body length) and have a general flycatcher shape. Their heads have a reddish-brown tinge with a crest on the top and their eyes and chin area are covered by a black “mask”, although juveniles lack this mask (All About Birds 2017; Seattle Audubon 2017). Adults are a brownish gray, while juveniles are primarily gray, with brown mottling on their underparts. B. garrulus has yellow patches on the tips of its wings, along with white and black edging. Juveniles lack these feather tips. As the birds mature, the size and amount of colored feather tips seem to increase. Their tails have yellow markings and are tinged red underneath (Seattle Audubon 2017; All About Birds 2017).

The Bohemian waxwing is closely related to and is often mistaken for the Cedar waxwing (Bombycilla cedrorum). The Bohemian waxwing can be distinguished from the Cedar waxwing by its larger size, its yellow and white feather tip markings, and its call (Seattle Audubon 2016). The call of B. garrulous is a high pitched, lisping “see”, and is harsher and more grating than the call of the Cedar waxwing (Kaufmann 2017).

In spring, , B. garrulus populations make migratory movements from southern wintering ranges in the northwestern U.S. and southwest Canada to breeding sites in Alaska and northwest Canada. Breeding locations may change annually, most likely in response to fruit availability. There are nonbreeding populations from the southern border of Canada into the U.S., extending further south in the west and receding northward toward the east coast. There is a year-round population where the nonbreeding and breeding ranges overlap in southwest Canada. Breeding takes place in mid-June, which is late in comparison to most birds. In September, they depart their breeding areas and arrive in south central British Columbia through October, in Oregon by mid-November, and large flocks sometimes reach northern California in January and February (Witmer 2002).

B. garrulus lives in open areas in the forest near the edges of burns, and in places with dispersed tall trees above their bushy understory. During the winters, they spend their time in semi-open wooded areas where food is more available. They tend to stay near towns where there are many planted fruits and berries. Some of the wild berries they eat in abundance are those of mountain-ash and junipers (Kaufmann 2017). Along with berries, Bohemian waxwings also eat insects, particularly flying ones. Breeding and migration depend on availability of crops, since their diet for the winter is dependent on vegetation as opposed to insects (Witmer 2002).

These birds are monogamous and are non-territorial. Because of their non-defensive nature, Bohemian waxwings lack a true song. They form large migratory flocks in which individual birds fly very close together with little to no aggression. They practice courtship which includes gift-giving, feeding, and billing (Witmer 2002). During the display of gift-giving, both birds perch close together with body feathers puffed out and the male passes a berry, flower, or other small item to the female. Their nests are typically built on the horizontal branches of spruce trees anywhere from 1.8 - 6.1 meters above the ground. Both sexes participate in the building of the nest which is composed of twigs, grass and moss lined with softer materials like feathers and fine grass. Females typically lay 4-6 pale bluish-gray eggs that are heavily dotted with black towards the wider end. Both parents feed the nestlings. The young flee the nest anywhere from 14-18 days after hatching and continue to associate with parents through the first fall and winter migration (Kaufmann 2017).

References

  • All About Birds. 2017. “Bohemian Waxwing.” Cornell University, Cornell Lab of Ornithology.
  • https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Bohemian_Waxwing/id. Accessed May 27, 2017.
  • Kaufmann, Ken. 2017. “Bohemian Waxwing.” National Audubon Society. Lives of North
  • American Birds. http://www.audubon.org/field-guide/bird/bohemian-waxwing. Accessed May 27, 2017.
  • Seattle Audubon. 2017. “Bohemian Waxwing” Seattle Audubon Society, BirdWeb. http://www.birdweb.org/Birdweb/bird/bohemian_waxwing. Accessed May 27, 2017.
  • Witmer, M. 2002. “Bohemian Waxwing.” The Birds of North America (P.G. Rodewald, ed.) Ithaca: Cornell Lab of Ornithology. https://birdsna.org/Species-Account/bna/species/bohwax/appearance. Accessed May 27, 2017.

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Authors: Hannah Ferry, Eve Javey, Katherine Lopez; Editor: Dr. Gordon Miller; Seattle University EVST 2100 - Natural History: Theory and Practice. Spring 2017
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Bohemian waxwing

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Bombycilla garrulus in Ontario, Canada

The Bohemian waxwing (Bombycilla garrulus) is a starling-sized passerine bird that breeds in the northern forests of the Palearctic and North America. It has mainly buff-grey plumage, black face markings and a pointed crest. Its wings are patterned with white and bright yellow, and some feather tips have the red waxy appearance that give this species its English name. The three subspecies show only minor differences in appearance. Females are similar to males, although young birds are less well-marked and have few or no waxy wingtips. Although the Bohemian waxwing's range overlaps those of the cedar and Japanese waxwings, it is easily distinguished from them by size and plumage differences.

The breeding habitat is coniferous forests, usually near water. The pair build a lined cup-shaped nest in a tree or bush, often close to the trunk. The clutch of 3–7 eggs is incubated by the female alone for 13–14 days to hatching. The chicks are altricial and naked, and are fed by both parents, initially mostly with insects, but thereafter mainly fruit. They fledge about 14–16 days after leaving the egg. Many birds desert their nesting range in winter and migrate farther south. In some years, large numbers of Bohemian waxwings irrupt well beyond their normal winter range in search of the fruit that makes up most of their diet.

Waxwings can be very tame in winter, entering towns and gardens in search of food, rowan berries being a particular favourite. They can metabolise alcohol produced in fermenting fruit, but can still become intoxicated, sometimes fatally. Other hazards include predation by birds of prey, infestation by parasites and collisions with cars or windows. The Bohemian waxwing's high numbers and very large breeding area mean that it is classified as being of least concern by the International Union for Conservation of Nature.

Taxonomy

The waxwings are a family, Bombycillidae, of short-tailed stocky birds with soft plumage, a head crest and distinctively patterned wings and tails. There are three species, the Bohemian, cedar, and Japanese waxwings. DNA studies and shared features such as a relatively large size, grey underparts and similar undertail patterns suggest that the Japanese and Bohemian waxwings are most closely related within the genus. Although only the cedar and Bohemian waxwings normally have red tips on their wing feathers, this feature is occasionally shown by the Japanese waxwing, suggesting that this was originally a whole-family characteristic that has been lost in one species, rather than an indicator of a close relationship. DNA analysis confirms that the cedar waxwing diverged early from the other members of the family. Outside the genus, the closest relatives of the waxwings are believed to be the silky-flycatchers, the palmchat, and the grey hypocolius, all of which have sometimes been included in the Bombycillidae.[2]

The Bohemian waxwing was described by Carl Linnaeus in his 1758 10th edition of Systema Naturae as Lanius Garrulus.[3] The waxwings were moved to their own genus, Bombycilla, by Louis Jean Pierre Vieillot in 1808.[4][a] The genus name Bombycilla comes from the Greek bombux, "silk" and the Modern Latin cilla, "tail";[7] this is a direct translation of the German Seidenschwanz, "silk-tail", and refers to the silky-soft plumage of the bird.[8] The species name garrulus is the Latin for talkative and was applied to this bird, as "Garrulus Bohemicus", by Conrad Gessner in 1555;[9][10] the term is a reference to a supposed likeness to the Eurasian jay (Garrulus glandarius) rather than to the waxwing's vocalisations.[11] The English name "waxwing" refers to the bright red tips of the secondary feathers on its wings, which look like drops of sealing wax, while "Bohemian" follows Gessner's usage, and may refer to the Romani, alluding to the bird's wanderings,[8] or to its presumed origin from Bohemia.[12] "Waxwing" and "Bohemian waxwing" were first recorded in 1817, the former as a reference to Vieillot's separation of this bird from the "chatterers".[13]

There are three recognised subspecies:[14]

  • B. g. garrulus (Linnaeus, 1758): the nominate subspecies, breeds in northern Europe from northern Norway east to the Ural Mountains.
  • B. g. centralasiae (Poliakov, 1915): breeds from the Urals eastwards across northern Asia.[15]
  • B. g. pallidiceps (Reichenow, 1908): breeds in northwestern North America.[16]

The differences between these forms are small and clinal, and the species could be possibly considered as monotypic.[2] The fossil record includes Pleistocene deposits from the UK and the Carpathian Mountains.[17][18]

Description

a spread wing with yellow white and red markings
The distinctive red wing tips

The Bohemian waxwing is a starling-sized bird 19–23 cm (7.5–9.1 in) in length with a 32–35.5 cm (12.6–14.0 in) wingspan, and an average weight of 55 g (1.9 oz).[14] It is short-tailed, mainly brownish-grey, and has a conspicuous crest on its head. The male of the nominate subspecies has a black mask through the eye and a black throat. There is a white streak behind the bill and a white curve below the eye. The lower belly is a rich chestnut colour and there are cinnamon-coloured areas around the mask. The rump is grey and the tail ends in a bright yellow band with a broad black border above it. The wings are very distinctive; the flight feathers are black and the primaries have markings that produce a yellow stripe and white "fishhooks" on the closed wing. The adult's secondaries end in long red appendages with the sealing wax appearance that gives the bird its English name. The eyes are dark brown, the bill is mainly black, and the legs are dark grey or black.[14] In flight, the waxwing's large flocks, long wings and short tail give some resemblance to the common starling, and its flight is similarly fast and direct.[2] It clambers easily through bushes and trees but only shuffles on the ground.[19]

The soft, dense feathers are kept in good condition by preening.[2] The red waxy tips are the extended and flattened ends of feather shafts, pigmented with astaxanthin and enclosed in a transparent sheath. A study of the cedar waxwings showed that the red tips are few or absent until the third year of life for that related species.[20] All adult waxwings have a complete moult annually between August and January. Juveniles moult at the same time but retain their flight and some other wing feathers.[2]

The female Bohemian waxwing is very similar to the male, but has a narrower yellow terminal band to the tail, a less defined lower edge to the black throat and slightly less distinctive wing markings. Juveniles are duller than adults, with whiter underparts, only a few red wing tips, no black on the throat and a smaller black face mask. Compared to the nominate subspecies, eastern B. g. centralasiae is paler, greyer and has little reddish-brown behind the bill. The American subspecies B. g. pallidiceps has more colouring on the cheeks and forehead than the nominate form and is otherwise generally duller in appearance.[14]


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The range of the Bohemian waxwing overlaps those of both the other members of the genus. The cedar waxwing is smaller than the Bohemian; it has browner upperparts, a white undertail and a white line above the black eye patch. Adult cedar waxwings have a yellowish belly, and all ages have less strongly patterned wings than the Bohemian waxwing.[19] The Japanese waxwing is easily distinguished from its relatives; it has a red terminal band to the tail, the black mask extends up the rear of the crest, and there is no yellow stripe or red tips on the wings.[21]

The Bohemian waxwing's call is a high trill sirrrr. It is less wavering and lower-pitched than that of the cedar waxwing,[19][22] and longer and lower-pitched than the call of the Japanese waxwing.[21] Other calls are just variants of the main vocalisation; a quieter version is used by chicks to call parents, and courtship calls, also given during nest construction, have a particularly large frequency range.[23] Although not a call as such, when a flock takes off or lands, the wings make a distinctive rattling sound that can be heard 30 m (98 ft) away.[19]

Distribution and habitat

conifer woodland and river
Northern coniferous forest breeding habitat.

The Bohemian waxwing has a circumpolar distribution, breeding in northern regions of Eurasia and North America. In Eurasia, its northern nesting limit is just short of the treeline, roughly at the 10 °C July isotherm, and it breeds south locally to about 51°N.[19] Most birds breed between 60–67°N, reaching 70°N in Scandinavia.[24] The North American subspecies breeds in the northwestern and north central areas of the continent, its range extending southwards beyond the US border in the Rocky Mountains.[1][22]

This waxwing is migratory with much of the breeding range abandoned as the birds move south for the winter. Migration starts in September in the north of the range, a month or so later farther south. Eurasian birds normally winter from eastern Britain through northern parts of western and central Europe, Ukraine, Kazakhstan and northern China to Japan. North American breeders have a more southeasterly trend, many birds wintering in southeast Canada, with smaller numbers in the north central and northeastern US states. Birds do not usually return to the same wintering sites in successive years.[14] One bird wintering in the Ukraine was found 6,000 km (3,700 mi) to the east in Siberia in the following year.[19][25]

waxwings in a bare tree
A winter flock in Poland

In some years, this waxwing irrupts south of its normal wintering areas, sometimes in huge numbers. The fruit on which the birds depend in winter varies in abundance from year to year, and in poor years, particularly those following a good crop the previous year, the flocks move farther south until they reach adequate supplies.[26][27] They will stay until the food runs out and move on again.[28] In what may be the largest ever irruption in Europe, in the winter of 2004–2005, more than half a million waxwings were recorded in Germany alone. This invasion followed an unusually warm, dry breeding season.[24] In 1908, an American flock 60–90 m (200–300 ft) wide was noted as taking two to three minutes to fly over.[14]

The breeding habitat is mature conifers, often spruce although other conifers and broadleaf trees may also be present. More open, wet areas such as lakes and peat swamps with dead and drowned trees are used for feeding on insects. Lowlands, valleys and uplands are used in Eurasia, although mountains tend to be avoided. However, the North American subspecies nests in Canada at altitudes between 900–1,550 m (2,950–5,090 ft).[19][29] Outside the breeding season, the waxwing will occupy a wide range of habitats as long as suitable fruits such as rowan are available. It may be found by roads, in parks and gardens or along hedges or woodlands edges. It shows little fear of humans at this time.[14][19] In winter, waxwings roost communally in dense trees or hedges, sometimes with American robins, fieldfares or other wintering species.[2]

Behaviour

Breeding

single waxwing sitting on a nest
Female on nest

Bohemian waxwings start their return from the wintering grounds in February or March, but northern breeders do not reach their breeding areas until April or early May. This monogamous species nests mainly from mid-June to July.[19]

Waxwings are not highly territorial, and, although normally solitary breeders, several pairs may nest close together where there are a number of good nest sites.[2] Males may sometimes deter rivals from approaching their mates, and females may squabble over nest sites. Aggression is shown by sleeking down the feathers and crest, showing the black throat, and opening the bill. The breeding display is almost the opposite of this; the male erects his body and crest feathers, and turns his head away from the female. The male may repeatedly present a gift of a small item, often food, to his partner, placing it in her open bill. In about 90% of cases, this display does not lead to copulation.[30] Older males have more red tips to the wings and are preferred by females.[23]

five white eggs in a twig nest
Nest and eggs

The nest, built by both sexes, is a cup of thin twigs lined with softer material such as fine grass, moss, fur or lichen. It is constructed 1.3–15 m (4–50 ft) above the ground in a pine or scrub, commonly close to the trunk. The eggs are a glossy pale blue spotted with black and grey and the clutch is 3–7 eggs, although five or six is most common.[14][19] The average size of the egg is 24 mm × 18 mm (0.94 in × 0.71 in), and it weighs 3.8 g (0.13 oz), of which 5% is shell. The eggs are incubated for 13–14 days by the female alone.[17] She is fed regurgitated berries by her mate, and rarely leaves the nest. The chicks are altricial and naked, and have bright red mouths; they are fed by both parents, although the male brings most of the food, mainly insects, in the first few days. The young are subsequently fed largely with fruit. The chicks fledge about 14–16 days after hatching.[2] They are fed by the adults for about two weeks after fledging.[23]

Breeding densities of this waxwing are typically low compared to other passerines, usually less than ten birds per square kilometre (26 per square mile) even in good habitat, although up to 35·6 birds per square kilometre (92 per square mile) have been found in Russia.[2] One brood each year is normal.[17] Maximum recorded ages are 5 years 10 months in North America and more than 13 years 6 months in Europe.[23][31] The average life expectancy is unknown.[17] Significant causes of death include predation,[23] collisions with windows and cars,[2] and poisoning by road salt consumed when drinking.[32]

Feeding

Eating a berry, Kenai National Wildlife Refuge, Alaska

Waxwings are primarily fruit eaters, but also consume insects during the breeding season. Mosquitoes and midges are the most common prey, but many other insects and some spiders are eaten. They are caught mainly by flycatching from an open perch, but some may be picked off vegetation.[19] Fruit is normally picked from trees, sometimes from the ground, and is usually swallowed whole. In the summer, Vaccinium and Rubus species and Canada buffaloberry are important items of their diet, while cotoneaster, juniper, haws, rose hips and apples predominate outside the breeding season. Rowan berries are a favourite food, and are eaten whenever available.[14]

Waxwings can eat huge numbers of berries, each bird sometimes consuming several hundred a day, more than double its own weight. One individual was recorded as eating between 600 and 1,000 cotoneaster berries in six hours, and defecating every four minutes.[12] Waxwings travel significant distances when feeding and help to disperse the fruit seeds.[2] Waxwings forage in large flocks, sometimes of several hundred birds, which enables them to overwhelm birds such as mistle thrushes attempting to defend their fruit trees.[33]

Fruit is rich in sugar but deficient in other nutrients, so it must be eaten in large quantities.[2] Bohemian waxwings have a large liver which helps to convert sugar to energy. They can metabolise ethanol produced from the fermentation of those sugary fruits more efficiently than humans, but may still become intoxicated,[23][34] sometimes fatally.[23] Waxwings often drink water or eat snow in winter, since the sugar in their fruit diet tends to dehydrate the birds through an osmotic effect. In the summer, the fruits are juicier and water is less of a problem.[2]

In the past, the arrival of waxwings sometimes coincided with epidemics of cholera or plague, and led to the old Dutch and Flemish name Pestvogel, "plague bird". The juniper berries on which they fed were thought to offer protection, and people consumed the fruit and burned branches to fumigate their houses.[24]

Predators and parasites

perched grey bird of prey
The Eurasian sparrowhawk hunts Bohemian waxwings.

Waxwings are preyed upon by birds of prey including rough-legged buzzards, Eurasian sparrowhawks, prairie falcons,[23] and great grey shrikes.[35] Merlins attack winter flocks, including those in cities.[36] When alarmed, Bohemian waxwings "freeze" with bill and neck pointing upwards. If this fails, they fly, calling noisily.[23]

Bohemian waxwings are not brood parasitised by the common cuckoo or its relatives in Eurasia because the cuckoo's young cannot survive on a largely fruit diet. In North America, the waxwing's breeding range has little overlap with brown-headed cowbird, another parasitic species. Nevertheless, eggs of other birds placed in a Bohemian waxwing's nest are always rejected. This suggests that in the past, perhaps 3 million years ago, the ancestral waxwing was a host of a brood parasitic species, and retains the rejection behaviour acquired then.[37]

Parasitic mites include Syringophiloidus bombycillae, first identified on this species,[38] and the nasal mite Ptilonyssus bombycillae.[39] Blood parasites include Trypanosoma species, and a Leucocytozoon first identified in this waxwing.[40] Bohemian waxwings may carry flatworms and tapeworms, but levels of parasitic worm infestation are generally low.[41]

Status

The global population of the Bohemian waxwing has been estimated at more than three million birds, and the breeding range covers about 12.8 million km2 (4.9 million mi2). Although this species' population, as of 2013, appears to be declining, the decrease is not rapid nor large enough to trigger conservation vulnerability criteria. Given its high numbers and huge breeding area, this waxwing is therefore classified by the International Union for Conservation of Nature as being of least concern.[1][42] The woodlands used by this species are well to the north of major human populations, and the birds can use disturbed habitats, so there are no serious long-term threats to this species.[14]

Gallery

Notes

  1. ^ The apparent discrepancy between Vieillot's book publication date, 1807, and the date of the genus attribution in standard sources, 1808,[5] arises because the book was published in monthly installments over a two-year period between 1807 and 1809.[6]

References

  1. ^ a b c BirdLife International (2016). "Bombycilla garrulus". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2016: e.T22708146A87399543. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2016-3.RLTS.T22708146A87399543.en. Retrieved 19 November 2021.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m Mountjoy, Jim (2005). "Family Bombycillidae (Waxwings)". In del Hoyo, J.; Elliott, A.; Christie, D.A. (eds.). Handbook of the Birds of the World. Vol. 10: Cuckoo-shrikes to Thrushes. Barcelona, Spain: Lynx Edicions. pp. 304–319. ISBN 978-84-87334-72-6.
  3. ^ Linnaeus (1758) p. 95.
  4. ^ Vieillot (1808) p. 88.
  5. ^ Mayr & Greenway (1960) p. 369.
  6. ^ "Annonces". Mercure de France (in French). Paris: Arthus Bertrand. 3 July 1808. pp. 95–96.
  7. ^ Jobling (2010) p. 74.
  8. ^ a b Holloway (2003) p. 39.
  9. ^ Jobling (2010) p. 171.
  10. ^ Gessner (1555) p. 27.
  11. ^ Parkes, Kenneth C (1958). "The specific name of the Bohemian Waxwing". The Auk. 75 (4): 479. doi:10.2307/4082116. JSTOR 4082116.
  12. ^ a b Cocker & Mabey (2005) pp. 326–327.
  13. ^ "Waxwing". Oxford English Dictionary (Online ed.). Oxford University Press. (Subscription or participating institution membership required.)
  14. ^ a b c d e f g h i j Hoyo, Josep del; Elliott, Andrew; Sargatal, Jordi; Christie, David A (eds.). "Bohemian Waxwing". Handbook of the Birds of the World Alive. Lynx Edicions. doi:10.2173/bow.bohwax.01. S2CID 216173413. Retrieved 10 September 2013. (subscription required)
  15. ^ Poljakov, G I (1915). "A new waxwing – Bombycilla garrulus centralasiae subsp. nov ". Messager Ornithogique Moscow (in Russian and English). 6 (2): 137.
  16. ^ Reichenow, Anton (1908). "Neue Vogelartem: Bombycilla garrula pallidiceps". Ornithologische Monatsberichte (in German). 16: 191.
  17. ^ a b c d "Waxwing Bombycilla garrulus [Linnaeus, 1758]". Bird Facts. British Trust for Ornithology (BTO). Retrieved 20 November 2013.
  18. ^ Főzy & Szente (2013) p. 395.
  19. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Snow & Perrins (1998) pp. 1113–1115.
  20. ^ Mountjoy, D James; Robertson, Raleigh J (1988). "Why are waxwings "waxy"? delayed plumage maturation in the Cedar Waxwing". The Auk. 105 (1): 61–69. doi:10.1093/auk/105.1.61. JSTOR 4087327.
  21. ^ a b Brazil (2009) p. 312.
  22. ^ a b Sibley (2000) p. 423.
  23. ^ a b c d e f g h i Wilson, C. "Bombycilla garrulus". Animal Diversity Web (2009). University of Michigan. Retrieved 8 November 2013.
  24. ^ a b c Fouarge, Jules; Vandevondele, Philippe (2005). "Synthèse d'une exceptionnelle invasion de Jaseurs boréaux (Bombycilla garrulus) en Europe en 2004–2005" (PDF). Aves (in French). 42 (4): 281–312.
  25. ^ Newton (2010) p. 406.
  26. ^ Newton (2010) pp. 393–395.
  27. ^ Koenig, W D; Knops, J M H (2001). "Seed-crop size and eruptions of North American boreal seed-eating birds" (PDF). Journal of Animal Ecology. 70 (4): 609–620. doi:10.1046/j.1365-2656.2001.00516.x.
  28. ^ Newton (2010) p. 403.
  29. ^ Campbell (1997) p. 466.
  30. ^ Meaden, F M; Harrison, C J O. "Courtship display in the Waxwing". British Birds. 58 (6): 206–208.
  31. ^ Fransson, T; Kolehmainen, T; Kroon, C; Jansson, L; Wenninger, T (2010). "European Longevity Records". Euring. Retrieved 9 November 2013.
  32. ^ Topfer, Till (2010). "Suspected road salt poisoning in Bohemian Waxwings Bombycilla garrulus (Aves: Passeriformes: Bombycillidae" (PDF). Vertebrate Zoology. 60 (2): 171–174. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2015-09-24. Retrieved 2013-11-09.
  33. ^ Snow & Snow (2010) pp. 154–156.
  34. ^ Mullarney et al. (2009) p. 272.
  35. ^ Cade Tom; Atkinson, Eric; Poole A (eds.). "Northern Shrike (Lanius excubitor)". The Birds of North America Online (2002). Cornell Lab of Ornithology. Retrieved 8 November 2013.
  36. ^ Semenchuk (1992) p. 91.
  37. ^ Peer, Brian D; Kuehn, Michael J; Rothstein, Stephen I; Fleischer, Robert C. (2011). "Persistence of host defence behaviour in the absence of avian brood parasitism". Biology Letters. 7 (5): 670–673. doi:10.1098/rsbl.2011.0268. PMC 3169069. PMID 21493623.
  38. ^ Skoracki, M (2002). "Three new species of the ectoparasitic mites of the genus Syringophiloidus Kethley, 1970 (Acari: Syringophilidae) from passeriform birds from Slovakia". Folia Parasitologica. 49 (4): 305–313. doi:10.14411/fp.2002.057. PMID 12641205.
  39. ^ Spicer, Greg S (1978). "A new species and several new host records of avian nasal mites (Acarina: Rhinonyssinae, Turbinoptinae)". Journal of Parasitology. 64 (5): 891–894. doi:10.2307/3279525. JSTOR 3279525.
  40. ^ Stabler, Robert M; Kitzmiller, Nancy J (1970). "Hematozoa from Colorado birds. III. Passeriformes". Journal of Parasitology. 56 (1): 12–16. doi:10.2307/3277443. JSTOR 3277443. PMID 4984081.
  41. ^ Rausch (1983) p. 401.
  42. ^ Butchart, S; Ekstrom, J. "Bohemian Waxwing Bombycilla garrulus". Species factsheet. BirdLife International. Retrieved 1 September 2015.
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Bohemian waxwing: Brief Summary

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Bombycilla garrulus in Ontario, Canada

The Bohemian waxwing (Bombycilla garrulus) is a starling-sized passerine bird that breeds in the northern forests of the Palearctic and North America. It has mainly buff-grey plumage, black face markings and a pointed crest. Its wings are patterned with white and bright yellow, and some feather tips have the red waxy appearance that give this species its English name. The three subspecies show only minor differences in appearance. Females are similar to males, although young birds are less well-marked and have few or no waxy wingtips. Although the Bohemian waxwing's range overlaps those of the cedar and Japanese waxwings, it is easily distinguished from them by size and plumage differences.

The breeding habitat is coniferous forests, usually near water. The pair build a lined cup-shaped nest in a tree or bush, often close to the trunk. The clutch of 3–7 eggs is incubated by the female alone for 13–14 days to hatching. The chicks are altricial and naked, and are fed by both parents, initially mostly with insects, but thereafter mainly fruit. They fledge about 14–16 days after leaving the egg. Many birds desert their nesting range in winter and migrate farther south. In some years, large numbers of Bohemian waxwings irrupt well beyond their normal winter range in search of the fruit that makes up most of their diet.

Waxwings can be very tame in winter, entering towns and gardens in search of food, rowan berries being a particular favourite. They can metabolise alcohol produced in fermenting fruit, but can still become intoxicated, sometimes fatally. Other hazards include predation by birds of prey, infestation by parasites and collisions with cars or windows. The Bohemian waxwing's high numbers and very large breeding area mean that it is classified as being of least concern by the International Union for Conservation of Nature.

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