Saratoga Springs, New York

Cedar Waxwing

Bird ID

Bohemian vs. Cedar Waxwings


by Eirik A.T. Blom

Throughout most of the United States an observer lucky enough to find a flock of waxwings in the yard can assume they are cedars.  In canada and the extreme northern United Stated they might be Bohemians, which wander and have shown up much farther south.  So how do you pick out the rarer (for most of us) Bohemian in a flock of cedars?

There are a lot of field marks, but there is a quick and dirty way to settle on which bird needs closer scrutiny.  Think gray.  Bohemians are bigger than cedars, and have white in the wing, but at a quick glance the most noticeable thing about them is that they are largely a gray bird, whereas cedars are brown with a yellowish breast and belly.  The overall grayer tones of a Bohemian make the bird stand out in a flock of its smaller cousins, even before you check out the other field marks.

The next time you are enjoying the antics of a flock of cedar waxwings decimating berries keep your eye out for a grayer figure.  It might lead to a fairly bright sighting.

 

Note:  A Cedar Waxwing is pictured above.  See images of and more information about Cedar Waxwings and Bohemian Waxwings on RightBird®, WBU's own online field guide.