Quick Answer
Cedar Waxwings are medium-sized songbirds that get their name from the waxy red tips on their secondary feathers. They have pale brown plumage on their head, chest, and back, with a yellow belly and white undertail coverts. Their most distinctive feature is the red wax-like tips on their wings, which gave rise to their common name. The color of Cedar Waxwings can be described as pale brown overall with splashes of yellow, white, black, and red.
The Cedar Waxwing is a sleek, medium-sized songbird found widely across North America. With their soft brown plumage, attractive red wingtips, and striking yellow-tipped tail, these sociable birds are a pleasure to observe. Cedar Waxwings belong to the genus Bombycilla and are classified as members of the family Bombycillidae.
Cedar Waxwings are highly social birds and often travel together in large flocks numbering in the hundreds. They get their common name from the waxy red deposits on the tips of their secondary feathers, which resemble sealing wax. These bright red tips give the birds’ wings a speckled, peppered appearance. The red color comes from pigments extracted from berries that the birds eat.
When it comes to describing the coloration of Cedar Waxwings, the defining features are the red wingtips contrasted against their pale silky brown plumage. But taking a closer look reveals splashes of additional colors throughout their elegant form. Examining the Cedar Waxwing’s complex plumage can help provide a more complete picture of this beautiful bird’s aesthetic qualities.
Head and Face
The head and face of the Cedar Waxwing are a smooth pale brown, with a subtle peach tone, especially around the forehead and throat. This delicate brown has a soft, silky texture. The crown is a slightly darker shade of brown than the nape, cheeks, and throat. Some black feathering sweeps back from the base of the bill towards the eyes.
Cedar Waxwings have a black mask that outlines the eyes and extends back to form a point. Their eyes are dark brown. The beak is short and conical, about half an inch long, and dark grayish-brown in color with a lighter base. Waxwings have a small tuft of short black feathers just below the beak that looks like a pencil moustache. Overall, the colors of the head and face can be summarized as pale brown, black, and peach tones.
Body and Wings
The back, chest, sides, and belly of the Cedar Waxwing are covered in smooth pale brown plumage, slightly darker on the back and lighter on the underside. This brown color matches the soft hue of the head and face. The rump is a slightly more grayish shade of brown.
The birds’ throats are adorned with a small black mask that extends from behind the eyes. Their bellies are pale yellow, providing a nice contrast to the brown body plumage. The undertail coverts – the feathers just below the base of the tail – are white with fine dark barring.
However, the most eye-catching feature of the Cedar Waxwing’s body and wings are the bright red wax-like tips on the secondary feathers. These small drops of crimson pigment give the wings a speckled, textured look. The red tips are usually larger and more saturated on the secondaries closest to the body and decrease in size towards the wingtips.
The flight feathers and tail feathers are blackish-brown. The primaries – the long wing feathers attached to the “hand bones” – have small white rectangular patches near their tips. When the wings are folded, these form a row of neat white lines across the wing.
Yellow Tail Band
Cedar Waxwings have a tails with a black base and a broad yellow band across the tip. This sunny yellow band is another distinctive marking that adds a pop of color to the otherwise earthy-toned plumage. The outer tail feathers have red waxy deposits on the inner vanes which show as red spots when the tail is fanned.
Overall, the colors that stand out on the Cedar Waxwing’s body and wings are the red secondary tips, the pale yellow belly, white undertail coverts, and the bright yellow tail band, set against the soft brown base color.
Male vs Female Color Differences
Male and female Cedar Waxwings have very similar coloration. The sexes are nearly identical in size and plumage characteristics.
However, females may have slightly browner plumage, especially on the head and upperparts, while males have more gray on the head and back. Adult males also tend to have longer tail bands, though there is overlap. But in general, the sexes are very difficult to distinguish in the field based on appearance.
Juvenile Cedar Waxwings resemble females but are streaked on the throat and upper breast. The wings of young birds have fewer and smaller red tips on the secondary feathers. Their tail bands may also be less distinct than adults. After the first year molt, immature Cedar Waxwings take on adult plumage.
Color Variations
While Cedar Waxwing coloration is generally consistent across the species, there are some minor regional and individual variations:
– Birds in the far northwest of the range may be slightly grayer-brown overall.
– Some waxwings show orange or yellow coloration instead of red on the secondary tips.
– The amount of red color varies, with some birds having smaller and fewer red deposits.
– Rarely, yellow or orange areas may occur on parts of the tail or belly.
– Albino and partially albino Cedar Waxwings with white plumage are sometimes observed.
But despite these occasional variances, most Cedar Waxwings exhibit the characteristic colors and patterns of the species. Their smooth brown plumage, with its red wingtips, yellow belly, and yellow-banded tail, make these sleek birds easy to identify.
Color Functions
The interesting coloration of the Cedar Waxwing likely serves various functions:
– **Camouflage** – The soft brown plumage helps provide camouflage in woodland habitats among tree trunks and branches.
– **Flock Cohesion** – The distinctive markings like the red wingtips, yellow tail band, and white tail spots may help waxwings keep track of flock members while flying.
– **Display** – Features like the red secondary tips, yellow tail, and sleek silhouette could play a role in courtship displays to attract mates.
– **Status** – The extent of the red tips may indicate age and experience, helping establish dominance hierarchies.
– **Predator Avoidance** – Bold contrasting colors are thought to advertise distastefulness or toxicity to potential predators.
So while beautiful to human eyes, the Cedar Waxwing’s colors likely serve important functional purposes related to this highly social species’ biology and ecology.
Color Origins
The Cedar Waxwing derives its colorful plumage from two main pigment types:
– **Melanins** – These black, brown, and rusty-red pigments produce the brown and chestnut hues in the plumage. Melanin colors are controlled by genetics.
– **Carotenoids** – These red, orange, and yellow plant pigments come from berries eaten by waxwings. Birds cannot synthesize carotenoids and must obtain them through diet. The carotenoids are modified and deposited into growing feathers.
The melanins create the predominant brown color as well as the black mask, streaks, and flight feathers. The orange-yellow carotenoids are responsible for the belly color, tail band, and secondary feather tips.
Interestingly, the exact red color of the wingtips comes from a carotenoid called rhodoxanthin that waxwings obtain from eating fruit of the introduced invasive shrub, Japanese honeysuckle. Birds from the West, where this shrub is absent, have yellow-orange wing patches instead of red.
This mix of melanin genetics and carotenoid-rich diet gives Cedar Waxwings their handsome, multi-hued plumage.
Conclusion
With their sleek shape, soft brown plumage, and distinctive markings, Cedar Waxwings are highly attractive birds. While predominantly brown, examining their coloring more closely reveals additional hues of red, yellow, white, black, and peach. This complex plumage likely helps waxwings communicate and maintain flocks, attract mates, advertise toxicity, and avoid predators. The melanin pigments and berry-derived carotenoids that produce their colors offer insights into waxwing biology, evolution, and ecology. Beauty and function merge in the handsome feathers of this sociable songbird.
Plumage Area | Color(s) |
---|---|
Head | Pale brown, black, peach |
Back | Pale silky brown |
Wings | Pale brown with red tips, black, white |
Belly | Pale yellow |
Tail | Black with yellow band, red spots |
Beak | Dark grayish-brown |
Key Cedar Waxwing Colors
- Silky pale brown overall plumage
- Red secondary feather tips
- Bright yellow belly and tail band
- Black mask and flight feathers
- White undertail coverts and wing patches
With their intricate mix of brown, red, yellow, white, and black, Cedar Waxwings exhibit a beautiful and functional color palette. Their unique plumage colors and patterns have delighted observers for centuries while serving essential roles for the birds themselves. By appreciating the nuances of their coloration, we gain a deeper understanding of these sociable songbirds.