| Bohemian Waxwing | |
|---|---|
 a Bohemian Waxwing pecking some berries. | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Aves |
| Order: | Passeriformes |
| Family: | Bombycillidae |
| Genus: | Bombycilla |
| Species: | Bombycilla garrulus |
The Bohemian Waxwing (Bombycilla garrulus) is a gregarious, widespread passerine bird in the family Bombycillidae.
Taxonomy[]
Bombycilla garrulus has two subspecies:
- B. g. garrulus, the nominate subspecies, found in Eurasia.
- B. b. pallidiceps, the American subspecies, characterized by larger size and browner plumage.
Some authors recognize a third subspecies, B. g. centralasiae, found east of the Urals, smaller and lighter-coloured than the nominate subspecies to which it is usually ascribed.
Description[]
The Bohemian Waxwing is 16-20 cm long and weighs 54 g. wings. It takes the name "waxwing" from the red, wax-like spots on the tips of its secondaries. Its plumage is mostly grey-brown, warmer and with cinnamon-beige tones on the head and greyer towards the vent, with blackish primaries, a black bib on the throat, and a black eye-stripe. The wing pattern is distinctive. The primary coverts have white tips, the primary remiges have yellow tips, and the secondary remiges have a white trailing edge with peculiar, tear-shaped tips. The undertail is reddish-brown, and the tail tip is yellow. Like all waxwings, it has a short crest. The sexes are similar, although the female's black facial markings and yellow tail-tip are less extensive.
Behaviour[]
The length of its migratory movements varies depending on food availability and weather. The colder the winter, the farther south it will migrate. It is a highly gregarious bird, often seen in large flocks. It mainly eats berries, fruit, seeds and insects. It is monogamous and breeds from mid-Spring to mid-Summer. About 5 eggs are laid and incubated by the female alone for about two weeks. They are usually whitish or pale blue with dark markings. The chicks are fed by both parents.
Distribution and Habitat[]
The Bohemian Waxwing has a circumpolar distribution, meaning that it breeds in all continents in the Northern Hemisphere, in the cold areas just south of the Arctic. This includes Siberia, Alaska, Canada, and Scandinavia. A migratory songbird, the Bohemian Waxwing may appear in large numbers in central and southern Europe during particularly cold winters.1 Its natural habitat are open evergreen and mixed forests near lakes, ponds, or rivers.