Cedar Waxwings are medium-sized songbirds found throughout North America. They are highly social birds often found in large flocks. Cedar Waxwings get both their common name and scientific name, Bombycilla cedrorum, from the waxy red tips on some of their secondary flight feathers, which look like sealing wax. These colorful and gregarious birds have a varied diet, feeding on fruit, berries, and insects. But when it comes to drinking, what exactly do Cedar Waxwings prefer to drink?
Do Cedar Waxwings drink water?
Yes, Cedar Waxwings do drink water. While they get much of the moisture they need from the fruits they eat, Cedar Waxwings will readily drink water when it is available. They can be seen perching on the edges of bird baths and other water sources to drink. Providing a clean, fresh water source is an excellent way to attract these sociable birds to your yard.
What juices and fruits do Cedar Waxwings drink?
Cedar Waxwings are true fruit-lovers and prefer juices and fruits as their main sources of food and hydration. Their favorites include:
- Berry juices – Cedar Waxwings are obsessed with berries. They love eating fruits like juniper berries, serviceberries, and hawthorn berries. They use their beaks like straws to suck out the juice and pulp.
- Citrus fruits – Oranges, tangerines, and other citrus fruits are highly attractive to Cedar Waxwings. They eagerly gulp down the juicy citrus fruits.
- Apples – Cedar Waxwings tap apple trees and drink the sap as it runs from the holes they poked.
- Tree sap – In addition to apple sap, Cedar Waxwings will drink oozing sap from trees like birches, maples, and eastern hemlocks.
- Fruit juices – Waxwings are happy to drink juices from crushed fruits and berries, including grapes, pokeweed, and black cherries.
How do Cedar Waxwings drink?
Cedar Waxwings have some interesting adaptations and behaviors for drinking liquids:
- Siphoning – Using their slender, pointed beaks, they can siphon up juices and sap.
- Capillary action – Their tongue has a grooved channel that allows liquid to move upward into the mouth through capillary action.
- Perching to drink – Waxwings often perch horizontally to drink, allowing them to easily sip liquids.
- Frenzied feeding – They can become intoxicated from eating overripe fruits and exhibit frenzied movements.
- Social drinking – They feed in large flocks and pass berries and other fruits bill-to-bill.
Why do Cedar Waxwings need to drink?
Cedar Waxwings, like all animals, need to drink water and consume liquids for some important reasons:
- Prevent dehydration – Drinking replenishes the water lost through metabolism, breathing, and waste removal.
- Thermoregulation – Water helps moderate body temperature so waxwings don’t overheat.
- Digestion – Liquids facilitate digestion of fruits and berries eaten by waxwings.
- Waste removal – Fluids carry waste products out of the bloodstream for excretion.
- Transportation of nutrients – Water dissolves nutrients like electrolytes and transports them in the body.
By seeking out water sources and juice-filled fruits and berries, Cedar Waxwings can stay hydrated and gain needed nutrients and energy.
What special adaptations help Cedar Waxwings drink?
Cedar Waxwings have some unique physical and behavioral adaptations that allow them to readily drink liquids:
- Slender beaks – Their long, pointed beaks allow them to siphon up liquids and probe into fruits.
- Fringed tongue tips – The brushy tips on their tongues soak up juices through capillary action.
- Red wax tips – These help signal individual birds when they’ve found good sources of food and drink.
- Highly social – They feed in large, coordinated flocks that can find fruiting trees.
- Migratory – They follow ripening fruit crops and can access different juice sources.
When do Cedar Waxwings drink the most?
Cedar Waxwings tend to drink more at certain times:
- Summer – They drink more while eating lots of fruit to meet higher calorie and hydration needs.
- Migration – Increased drinking helps fuel their long migration flights in spring and fall.
- Nesting season – They sip more water while building nests and feeding nestlings.
- Hot weather – They drink more on hotter days to stay cool and prevent dehydration.
- Cold winters – With less fruit available, they rely more on sap, unfrozen water sources, and fruit juices.
By tracking down fruit crops and other high-liquid foods, Cedar Waxwings can maintain proper hydration year-round.
What are some interesting facts about how Cedar Waxwings drink?
Here are a few fascinating facts about how these sociable songbirds drink:
- They can eat up to 600 fruits per hour during binge-feeding sessions.
- Waxwings will become intoxicated by alcohol in overripe fruits, flying erratically after gorging.
- They perch horizontally, swallow berries whole, and may pass them bill-to-bill when drinking in groups.
- Their Latin name Bombycilla means “silk-tail” referring to their soft, silky plumage.
- Cedar Waxwings are one of the few North American birds that specialize in eating fruit.
Conclusion
With their thirst for juices and adaptation for drinking on the wing, Cedar Waxwings are fascinating to observe. Providing clean water sources, berry bushes, and fruiting trees will attract these sociable birds. Watching Cedar Waxwings drink reveals important insights into their anatomy, behavior, and ecology. Their drinking adaptations allow them to exploit seasonal fruits and maintain hydration and energy levels throughout the year as highly nomadic birds. With a liquid diet dominated by fruit juices and other fluids, Cedar Waxwings have carved out a unique dietary niche as America’s berry-eating wanderers.
