Last week I talked about bird irruptions. Another bird that suddenly shows up in northwest B.C. in huge numbers is the Bohemian waxwing. Its appearance is not really an irruption as they seem to show up on a regular basis every year around this time (late November through December).
The Bohemian waxwing typically lives and breeds farther north in BC, the Yukon, N.W. Territories and into Alaska, although a few may breed farther south in our area. The waxwings we usually see in the Bulkley Valley during breeding bird season and into the fall are the cedar waxwing – a close relative.
When real winter sets in the cedar waxwings gradually leave and go south, especially to the Lower Mainland area.
Both species do look similar and are considered one of the most beautiful birds we have with their sleek plumage and crests on their heads. They are called waxwings from the waxy red tips on their wing feathers at maturity. They both have conspicuous yellow tips on their tail feathers, although there is a variant with orange-tipped tail feathers.
Some key identifying features can be used to tell them apart. The Bohemian waxwing also has yellow and white markings on its wings at maturity whereas the cedar does not. The body of mature adult cedar waxwings tends to be more of a warm brown whereas it is more grayish in Bohemians.
I prefer to look for the colour of the undertail coverts – i.e., the rump. In cedar waxwings it is white or pale grey whereas Bohemian waxwings have a rufous or cinnamon-coloured rump. This may be a bit hard to see when they are sitting motionless but watch for it as they move around or fly.
The Bohemians descend on the Northwest leading up to Christmas, sometimes in huge flocks, to gorge on the frozen berries remaining on the cultivated mountain-ash bushes and crab-apples in gardens.
These are loaded with sugars and may also be fermented. It is not unusual to see waxwings (and other birds such as the few American robins and varied thrushes still here) staggering across lawns or even hanging upside down from a branch in an alcoholic stupor.