CEDAR WAXWING 
The cedar waxwing breeds in June and July, later than most other birds. 
In the early spring, the graceful ash-colored birds can be seen flying about 
in small flocks, often in the company of goldfinches. They fly for short 
distances, barely grazing the tree-tops, and then pause for a meal of cedar 
berries or insects. They hardly can be said to sing, but now and then they 
utter a muted whistle or a series of short peeps, described by Thoreau as 
a “beady note.” The plumage of the waxwing is soft and smooth. Its slaty- 
gray wings are tipped with horny red ornaments which resemble pellets of 
sealing wax. 
The cedar bird’s nest is a bulky affair of grass, leaves, moss and 
sometimes mud, located in trees at an elevation of from five to twenty feet. 
The eggs, three to five in number, are pale bluish-gray with black or 
dark-brown markings. In caring for the young, these birds show unusual 
tenderness and devotion. At the approach of an intruder their crests tremble 
in excitement. Often the male bird mounts guard on the tip of an evergreen 
tree, keeping vigil for hours and now and then flying into the air for a 
snack of passing insects. Cedar waxwings are considered to be among the 
most gentle and delicate of birds. 
Waxwings migrate irregularly, following the food supply. They winter 
throughout most of the United States. 
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