Bohemian Waxwing 425 



Bohemian Waxwing. Bomhycilla garrula. 



A.O.U. Checklist no 618— Colorado Records— Aiken 72, p. 198 

 {Ampelis garrula) ; Trippe 74, p. 92 ; Drew 81, p. 89 ; 85, p. 15 ; H. G. 

 Smith 84, p. 120 ; Morrison 88, p. 73 ; Cooke 97, pp. Ill, 217 ; Henderson 

 03, p. 236 ; 09, p. 238 ; Rockwell 08, p. 175. 



Description. — Sexes alike. General colour above and below grey 

 or drab-brown, becoming tinged with rufous towards the head ; forehead 

 and under tail-coverts rufous-chestnut ; a line running through the 

 eye and along the base of the upper mandible and a patch on the chin 

 and throat black ; wings dusky grey, the primary coverts tipped on 

 both webs with white, the primaries with the tips of the outer webs 

 white or yellow, the secondaries also tipped with white and the shafts 

 of several of the feathers prolonged into sealing-wax red, flattened, 

 pear-shaped appendages ; tail dusky grey with a terminal band of 

 yellow ; iris brown, bill black, blueish-grey at base, legs black. Length 

 6-7."> ; wing 4-55 ; tail 2-65 ; culmen -45 ; tarsus -70. 



In some birds the red appendages to the secondaries are absent, 

 and the yellow spots on the primaries are all white. This does not 

 appear to be connected with age or sex or season. 



Distribution. — Breeding m the coniferous forests of the northern 

 parts of the Old and New Worlds ; in America from Alaska to Hudson 

 Bay, southwards in winter very irregularly as far as Pennsylvania 

 and northern California. 



In Colorado the Waxwing is a not uncommon winter bird, more 

 abundant in the moimtains, where it has been foimd as high as 10,000 

 feet by Dennis Gale near Ward in Boulder co. ; occasionally it is seen 

 in the foothills, but it is notoriously erratic in its movements and may 

 occur at any place. It reaches Colorado in November or December 

 and remains often till the end of March. It was seen by Deimis Gale 

 as late as Aj^ril 6th. 



The following are recorded localities : Boulder, a few in winter 

 (Henderson), Denver (Smith), Idaho Springs (Trippe), Breckenridge 

 (Carter apud Cooke), El Paso co. (Aiken), Mesa co. not imcommon 

 in winter (Rockwell), San Juan co. (Drew), La Plata co. (Morrison). 



Habits, — The Bohemian Waxwing is usually seen in 

 flocks, sometimes of very large size ; it is very erratic 

 in its wanderings, and though common one winter in 

 one particular locaHty, may not be seen again in the 

 same place for many years. It feeds chiefly on wild 

 berries, and the presence of these in sufficient quantities 

 may perhaps account for its wandering habits, but it 



