Courtship of the Cedar Waxwing

June 25, 2015  •  3 Comments

Sometimes you just never know what you are going to see when you allow yourself some free time in nature.  On a recent morning, I was watching a sun soaked, shrubby bank at Moraine State Park in Western Pennsylvania.  I was photographing the Yellow Warblers while I waited for a nesting pair of Baltimore Orioles to come down from the tall trees.  Soon, I began hearing the high-pitched, thin whistles of Cedar Waxwings.  A small flock of about six were occupying the evergreens behind me.
 

Cedar WaxwingCedar Waxwing

 

Still waiting for the Baltimore Orioles to return, I now focused my attention to the small flock of silky birds.  Two, in particular, kept flying into a thick tangle of branches of a nearby spruce tree.  I followed them in my camera lens until I found them and their nest.  They build a cup shaped nest made of bark, twigs, moss, and grass.  The completed nest is about five inches across and three inches high.  Interestingly, the female waxwings do almost all the nest building.  The males may help for the second nest of the season.

Cedar WaxwingCedar Waxwing

 

After a short period of time, the remaining flock flew past me and landed in the shrubby hillside.  The hillside is dotted with a few taller trees that don't surpass 25 feet.  One of the waxwings flew out onto a branch giving me a nicely lit, profile photograph.

Cedar WaxwingCedar Waxwing

 

I hurried to make a few images before it flew to another perch that may not be as ideal for a photograph.  For a change, it was content on its twiggy perch and began to preen.  For the bird population, preening means to straighten and clean its feathers.

Cedar WaxwingCedar Waxwing

 

All fluffed up, the waxwing takes a break from preening to look around.

Cedar WaxwingCedar Waxwing

 

Before I continue, I want to describe the courtship ritual of the Cedar Waxwing.  According to reliable birding sources, when a male and female courtship each other, males and females hop towards each other, alternating back and forth and sometimes touch their bills together.  Males often pass a small item like a fruit, insect, or flower petal, to the female. After taking the gift, the female usually hops away and then returns giving back the item to the male. They repeat this a few times until, typically, the female eats the gift.

My experience was similar, but different.  There was another waxwing in an adjacent tree and the waxwing I was watching became more alert indicated by the lift of its crest.

Cedar WaxwingCedar Waxwing

 

So, as it turns out, the waxwing I've been watching is the female.  She began putting herself in a "funny" pose and lifting her tail.  To be honest, I thought she was going to poop.

Cedar WaxwingCedar Waxwing

 

She picked a worm from a nearby leaf and held it in her beak.  Courting descriptions that I have read all indicate that the male provides the treat.  In this case, the female was the provider.

Cedar WaxwingCedar Waxwing

 

The male swooped into the same tree a few feet above the female.  She turned to offer the treat.

Cedar WaxwingCedar Waxwing

 

Within minutes, the male came down and ended the courtship.

Cedar WaxwingCedar Waxwing

 

The female is still holding the meaty treat.

Cedar WaxwingCedar Waxwing

 

Just like that, it was over.  The waxwings continued flying between the evergreens behind me and I continued to photograph Yellow Warblers and waiting for the Baltimore Orioles.

Until next time,

Dan


Comments

Willard Hill(non-registered)
Impressive work. It is great to document animal and bird behavior that few get to witness.
Julie G.(non-registered)
How fortunate you were to be able to watch and document this fascinating courtship behavior! I have never seen their courtship rituals before or even seen a waxwing nest, even though I have observed a lot of Cedar Waxwings. Thanks for sharing this wonderful blog post, Dan! Great photographs!
bill potter(non-registered)
Very nice photo essay of the waxwing, nice images as well...
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