The Cedar Waxwing, one of two Waxwing species in North America, usually travels in large groups, seldom alone. Attract stunning DAVID ALEXANDER PHOTO Cedar Waxwings Not just beautiful, these garden wonders For information attack the pests that cause so much trouble. on the Yakima by Michelle Murphy for Yakima Valley Master Gardeners County Master Gardeners he Cedar Waxwing brings many bene2its to Program: your garden, including insect control. This https:// beautiful bird, Bombycilla cedrorum, was extension.wsu.edu/ T yakima/home-garden/ declared the 2020 American Birding Association Bird master-gardeners/ of the Year! 1 You may already be familiar with the Cedar Waxwing. A member of the Bombycillidae or waxwing family of passerine birds, it’s six to eight inches long and crested with a black mask and chin, yellow belly, white undertail and a yellow band across the tip of the tail. The red appendages (“sealing wax”) at the end of its secondary wings give the bird its name. The Cedar Waxwing consumes mostly fruit and insects. They eat the berry whole while sitting on the branch, or hovering just below. Attract the birds to your yard or garden by planting berry and fruit-bearing trees and shrubs such as juniper, dogwood, European mountain ash, pyracantha, cotoneaster, mistletoe, hawthorn, California peppertree, grapes. strawberries, mulberry, privet, yew, toyon, hackberry, or choke cherry. The Cedar Waxwing eats many insects during the summer including elm leaf beetles, weevils, carpenter ants, saw2ly larvae, cicadas, scale insects, and caterpillars. They may eat insects from leaves, or by catching them in mid-air. How to attract Cedar Waxwing To attract the Cedar Waxwing, you may want to provide chopped apples, raisins, or currents on a platform feeder. Make sure there is a water source available, whether from a stream or river, or bird bath. The Cedar Waxwing can be found anywhere except grasslands, deserts, and deep forests. (Good news, they are generally year round residents in the Paci2ic Northwest.) They also inhabit orchards, gardens, and parks. They seem to prefer alders, maples, and dogwoods for nesting. These social birds form large 2locks and can nest in loose clusters. It’s rare to see a solitary bird. Nesting is generally late (not beginning until mid summer) and may include two broods. To encourage nesting, make sure grass, twigs, and other plant 2ibers are readily available. Cedar Waxwings are native to North America and Central America. They winter in southern North America, Central America, and northwest South America. Their migration patterns are not well 2 understood. For those that winter locally, you can provide soft fruits and berries to augment their diet. Be cautious to remove fermenting fruit when possible, to prevent possible alcohol intoxication or death. Currently the Cedar Waxwing is not endangered. Keep an eye open for this feathered friend in your garden or nearby orchard. ! 3.