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Bombycilla cedrorum
These birds' most prominent feature is a small cluster of bright red feathers on the wings, a feature they share with the Bohemian Waxwing (but not the Japanese Waxwing). The tail is typically yellow or orange depending on diet. Birds that have fed on berries of introduced Eurasian honeysuckles while growing tail feathers will have darker orange-tipped tail-feathers. Adults have a pale yellow belly. Immature birds are streaked on the throat and flanks, and often do not have the black mask of the adults.
6 Comments
Gorgeous capture Lisa!
Ok awesome, I am going to Palo Duro Canyon on Sunday to see what birds I can find that are moving through right now. I went to the park in town and found just some common ducks, nothing exciting. Did get a few good pictures though :)
Ashley, they do get into Texas in the winter. They are usually gregarious and like to feed upon berries. Here is a good reference for them:
http://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Cedar...
I don't think I've ever seen one of these, do you know if they get into Texas? I really have only been looking at birds since January though, so very possible I missed them if they do come here. I plan on participating in my first Christmas Bird Count this year :)
Thanks Ashley! They are beautiful birds but not always so easy to photograph.
This is so pretty!