Cedar Waxwing, Bombycilla cedrorum
Cedar Waxwings are elegant and attractive winter residents in the San Francisco Bay Area, roaming the gardens, parks, and foothills in flocks, often in company with American Robins, in search of berries ripening on pyracantha, toyon, and cotoneaster bushes. We are always glad to hear their thin piping calls around our house, which often announce that they are taking a break from the berry hunt to bathe in our back yard fountain.
The waxy red tips of the waxwing's tertial feathers give the bird its common name, and combine with the yellow tips of its tail feathers and its black mask to create its especially dashing appearance.
