Bohemian Waxwing: a two-minute wildlife lesson

Bright Little Birds · day 2 of 7

Five facts

1. A waxwing can gobble several hundred berries in a day. That can add up to more than twice the bird's own weight.
2. All that sugary fruit dries the birds out, so in winter waxwings often drink water or nibble snow.
3. Its name comes from the bright red tips on some wing feathers, which look like little drops of sealing wax.
4. When berries run short up north, waxwings flood south. In the winter of 2004-2005, over half a million turned up in Germany alone.
5. When courting, the male offers his partner a small gift, often a bit of food, and places it right in her open beak.

The quiz

1. How many berries can one waxwing eat in a day?

• Only two or three
• About ten
• Several hundred (correct)
• None, it only eats seeds

Each bird can eat several hundred berries a day, more than twice its weight.

2. Why do waxwings often eat snow in winter?

• Their sugary fruit dries them out (correct)
• To clean their beaks
• To cool their eggs
• To catch insects in it

Sugary fruit tends to dry them out, so they drink water or eat snow.

3. What do the red wing tips that give the waxwing its name look like?

• Tiny red berries
• Flower petals
• Drops of blood-red ink
• Drops of sealing wax (correct)

The red feather tips look like drops of sealing wax.

4. In the winter of 2004-2005, how many waxwings were recorded in Germany alone?

• About 50
• More than half a million (correct)
• About 1,000
• None at all

Over half a million were counted in Germany that winter.

5. Where does a courting male waxwing place his gift?

• On a branch
• In the nest
• In his partner's open beak (correct)
• On the snow

He places a small item, often food, in her open bill.

More about the Bohemian Waxwing

Same week

All lessons

Nature documentaries