Bombycilla cedrorum

During the Great Backyard Bird Count completed over the Presidents Day weekend (www.birdsource.org/gbbc), I was pleased to observe a cedar waxwing in my yard. It was eating juniper berries from the trees that I planted in 1986.

There were a total of 169 cedar waxwings observed in Utah during the bird count. Those birds were included in the reports of 14 of 213 birders who participated. This citizen science project, hosted by Cornell Lab of Ornithology and the National Audubon Society and sponsored by the Wild Bird Center, is in its 12th year.

Data from this and other citizen science projects add to our knowledge about these and other birds that are indicator species in our environment.

The cedar waxwing and its cousin the Bohemian waxwing are the only birds in North America that get 98 percent of their diet from the fruit and berries of trees, vines and shrubs. The remaining 2 percent is insects. Knowing the food needs of this beautiful waxwing led me to plant the junipers in my yard, followed by pyracantha, mountain ash, mulberry, crab apple, red-osier dogwood and Virginia creeper.

One never forgets the first time one sees a cedar waxwing. It is a strikingly beautiful bird, so majestic that I selected it to adorn the cover of my Backyard Birds of Utah guide.

Its head is topped with a long crest of brown feathers. The eyes are encased in a black mask with a white underline. The breast, sides and wings are brownish. The belly has a light yellow hue. The waxwing gets its name from the red waxy tips on the secondary flight feathers of adult birds.

You can distinguish the cedar waxwing from the Bohemian by the undertail coverts. The Bohemian's undertail is a rust color; the cedar waxwing's is white and its rump and upper tail are gray, with a yellow terminal band.

Cedar waxwings can be found in Utah throughout the year. They are gregarious birds, gathering in winter foraging flocks, as well as nesting in loose colonies. These very social birds often can be observed passing a berry back and forth among them as they perch together on a branch.

The female will brood two to six chicks that fledge within 18 days. They are fed by both parents. Waxwings often nest over river systems. The Weber River Riverdale parkway is a good location to observe cedar waxwings in spring and summer.

Bill Fenimore is the owner of the Layton Wild Bird Center, www.wildbird.com/layton, and author of Backyard Birds of Utah.