Waxwing: description and photo, migratory or wintering bird. The amazing miracle bird waxwing Write 5 interesting sentences about the waxwing bird

Classification

Family: Waxwings

Subfamily: True waxwings

Squad: Passeriformes

Class: Birds

Type: Chordata

Domain: Eukaryotes

Dimensions: length - 18-23 cm; weight - 60-67 g.

Lifespan: 13 years

The waxwing is the closest relative of the common sparrow. But unlike the latter, this bird has a beautiful, bright outfit and a small crest on its head.

The waxwing bird got its name from the “swi-ri-ri-ri” sounds it makes, similar to musical instrument pipe

The subfamily of true waxwings includes the common, Amur (Japanese) and cedar (American) waxwings. The head of all these three species is decorated with a crest.

They differ in color and habitat. More detailed description Each type is presented below.

In addition to true waxwings, there are two more subfamilies: silkies and shrikes. Externally, they differ little from each other with the exception of the representative of the silk subfamily - the black waxwing.

This is the only species among its relatives that differs in color based on gender: the plumage of males has a uniform black tint, while that of females is gray.

What a female and a male black waxwing look like is shown in the photo below.

Male on the left, female on the right

Habitat

In summer, the common waxwing inhabits the taiga zone of Russia, as well as the forest-tundra. It lives in both coniferous and mixed forests.

Nomadic birds fly to the Altai mountains for the winter.

In early June they return from wintering to their nesting sites. During the nomadic period, waxwings reach the Crimea, the Caucasus and Central Asia.

Twice a year, in spring and autumn, “crested” birds can be found in middle lane Russia, namely in the Moscow region and among.

They are not afraid to fly into parks in large cities. Like, these are very trusting birds, which contributed to their partial extermination.

The waxwing bird, which inhabits the remote and sparsely populated northern part of the country, leads a secretive lifestyle.

This is what a common waxwing looks like

Amur or Japanese birds populate Far East Russia. The species is also found in the Khabarovsk Territory, Eastern Yakutia, and Sakhalin.

Some representatives go to Japan, Taiwan, and Korea for the winter.

The Amur waxwing is not much different from the common one

The cedar or American waxwing lives in the forest zone of Canada, as well as Central and North America.

Pictured is a cedar waxwing

Characteristic

The waxwing bird is very active and most spends time in search of food.

This bird is almost impossible to meet alone, as it prefers to always be in a flock of 5 or more individuals.

There are even flocks of up to 400 birds. But such cases are very rare.

The disintegration of the flock begins during the winter, and the later the birds begin to migrate, the smaller its number. The number of migrations depends on the size of the flock: the larger it is, the more often the place changes.

As for the anatomical structure, all representatives of true waxwings have a dense physique with soft and thick plumage.

Once a year (October-November) the bird completely moults. The species has a short tail and long wings. At the end of the short and straight beak there are small teeth at the end.

The legs of these birds are very strong, with curved claws. This allows them, along with and, to stay securely on the branch.

But this leg structure is inconvenient for moving on the ground. The bird comes down to the ground only when it wants to drink.

Females are slightly heavier than males: average weight is 58 and 54 grams. respectively. But in the literature there is a description that there are individuals of 72 grams.

Pair of waxwings

Appearance

Real waxwings are not much different from each other and have a slight difference in color.

Description of the common waxwing

The bird has a short body length, not exceeding 23 centimeters. It is endowed with a gray color with a pink tint.

Black wings are decorated with red, white and yellow feathers. Black color also predominates around the eyes and neck of the bird. The tip of the tail has black and yellow stripes.

In some individuals, the red plate may be absent. Young birds acquire their characteristic color only after the first autumn molt.

This is what a common waxwing looks like

Description of the Amur waxwing

The description of this species is not much, but still differs from the previous one. The Amur individual is slightly smaller than the common waxwing: the length of the body most often does not exceed 16 centimeters.

There are slight differences in color: on the tail instead of a yellow stripe there is a red one, and the tips of the wings are bluish.

The Amur species is listed in the Red Book of the Sakhalin Region and Primorsky Territory. Also, an agreement was signed between Russia, Japan and Korea on the protection of the Amur waxwing during the migration period.

Description of the cedar waxwing

American representatives of birds have a body size of 15-18 centimeters. Distinctive feature The species is the yellow belly.

The tip of the tail also has a yellow stripe. Wings gray with red feathers.

Birds spend most of their time in trees and descend to the ground only if they drop a picked berry.

Key Features

• The waxwing bird loves to eat and is constantly in the process of absorbing food.
• The birds spend most of their time in the trees and come down to the ground only if they drop a picked berry or want to drink.
• The species is not a migratory bird, but a nomadic one.
• In the winter season, when berries become the main food, waxwings can become intoxicated due to the fruits that begin to ferment in their intestines.

You can read more about what eating fermented berries can lead to in the news

Having met a flock of waxwings, you can always find them doing their favorite activity - eating food.

Nutrition

In summer, the waxwing bird feeds on:

• larvae;
• midges;
• mosquitoes;
• butterflies;
• dragonflies.

Starting from autumn and winter, the main food for birds becomes:

• Rowan;
• viburnum;
• juniper;
• cowberry;
• rose hip;
• mistletoe;
• barberry.

Having met a flock of waxwings, you can always find them doing their favorite activity - eating food. They eat very quickly, swallowing the berries whole without chewing.

The stomach does not have time to digest food in large quantities, so their droppings consist of half-digested berries.

Waxwing at meal

After a few weeks, the waxwing bird leaves its “home” and heads to other regions in search of food.

In the spring, these birds can also feed on the swollen buds of trees, mainly poplar, willow and aspen, last year's lingonberries, and cranberries.

Behavior

People often witness such a phenomenon as “drunk waxwings.”

This usually happens in the spring and autumn, when birds eat all the berries indiscriminately, among which fermented fruits fall.

The fermentation process can also begin due to a large number of eaten berries that ferment in the waxwing’s intestines. The most voracious individuals in spring and autumn are almost constantly in a state of intoxication.

In this case, the waxwing bird cannot control its behavior. The individual loses orientation in space and is unable to fly in a straight line.

Interesting!Until the 20th century, a waxwing knocking on a window was a source of bad omen. And only then did ornithologists explain this behavior of the birds as a state of intoxication in which they are unable to navigate their environment.

It is not uncommon to see drunken birds crashing into obstacles in their path. Because of this, birds can be injured or even die.

Photos of drunken waxwings

Reproduction

During the nesting period, which begins in May and lasts until July, the birds split into pairs. But some individuals, even when living in a flock, try to stay in pairs.

Facts were noted that even in November-December, in sunny weather, males began courtship.

The female builds a nest of grass and pine needles, which she covers inside with moss and feathers. Construction is carried out on different heights from 4 to 15 meters from the ground.

The average diameter of the nest is 20 cm, height - 10 cm. The clutch consists of 4-6, less often 7, bluish or gray eggs with black specks measuring 2x1.5 cm.

Hatching lasts two weeks. At this time, the male provides his companion with the necessary food from insects, young shoots and berries.

After the birth of the offspring, until the chicks become independent, the father provides them with food.

Interesting!During the courtship period, the male treats the female with a berry or larva. If the treat is accepted, this means that the female gives her consent to the partnership.

What does male courtship look like during the mating season?

After birth, the chicks gain independence within 2-2.5 weeks. The period of puberty in young birds begins at one year of age.

The waxwing bird is monogamous and annually looks for a new partner. The female breeds offspring once a year.

During the nesting season, birds lead a secretive lifestyle and are rarely seen.

Waxwings, like waxwings, can be kept and bred in captivity. To do this, you need a spacious enclosure in which the flock will live. Living in groups rather than alone in artificial conditions, these birds lead a more active lifestyle and trill more often.

In no natural environment habitat, the life expectancy of waxwings is significantly reduced. It is very important to diversify the diet of captive individuals as widely as possible.

Otherwise, the waxwing bird loses its bright, beautiful color: it becomes pale and inconspicuous.

Birds must be provided with carotene-containing products. In captivity, they are practically omnivorous and happily eat any berry.

In addition, it is very important to include carrots in their diet, cereals, millet, raisins, cottage cheese, boiled meat and insects. In summer, domestic birds should be given greens and willow catkins.

During the period of feeding the chicks, the diet must include insects and ant eggs.

Since waxwings eat a lot, they produce just as much droppings. To create hygienic conditions, it is advisable to sprinkle the floor of the enclosure with sawdust.

Meaning in nature and culture

The waxwing bird is a source of food for wild animals and birds, so it plays an important role in the food chain. Her enemies are:

• hawks;
• magpies;
• crows;
• owls.

Birds destroy harmful insects, preventing their rapid reproduction. In addition, they are natural seed dispersers and promote plant dispersal.

Today, the species of the Amur waxwing is included in the Red Book. This was partly influenced by the capture of individuals arriving in China for the winter.

There, Amur birds are used as food or as decorative birds.

The waxwing bird is reflected in folk art: Children's whistles, which were also previously used by shepherds, were made in the image of these birds.

Descriptions of waxwings are also found in fiction in the works of Alexander Barkov, Galina Baykova and Anatoly Gorbunov.

Waxwing: A colorful bird that can sing

The waxwing is the closest relative of the common sparrow (photo). It has a characteristic crest and a pleasant multi-colored color.

The waxwing is a large, very beautiful bird with a perky fluffy crest on its head and a black spot on its throat. Its delicate plumage has a smoky pink color, and its dark tail ends with a wide yellow stripe. If you look closely, you can see that on the wings of most individuals the secondary flight feathers end in a small scarlet plate.

It is named so because the word “whistle” in the Old Russian language means “to shout loudly, whistle.” The song of the waxwing is a gentle murmuring trill “svi-ri-ri-ri-ri”, similar to the sound of a pipe. Here is this truly wonderful bird sitting on a branch and chirping, and then suddenly and unexpectedly it whistles!.. But not out of fright, no. She has absolutely no one to fear, she is used to people, she lets them get very close, and allows them to admire her.

At the beginning of spring, waxwings build a very powerful nest, and the bottom is lined exclusively with feathers and not with hard branches. Here the female will patiently hatch the future chicks, and the male will carefully feed them.

Starting from March - April, waxwings travel north, where they breed chicks in the subpolar taiga.

In summer, these birds feed on insects, which they often catch in flight, larvae, various berries and young shoots of plants. In autumn and winter, the main food of waxwings is rowan berries, as well as rose hips and barberries. In winter, waxwings wander in flocks in search of food and often completely remove the harvest from these bushes. The gluttony of waxwings is so great that not all the food they eat is absorbed by the body: some of the berries and fruits are released undigested from the intestines of the birds and, once in the soil, produce full-fledged shoots. In this way, waxwings contribute to the spread of plants, providing the forest with a kind of “quid pro quo.”

Until the mid-20th century, the appearance of these birds was considered a bad omen. But now, seeing large bird with a long golden tail and a scarlet crest on its head, we know that meeting this bird does not bode well. Autumn has just arrived.

Waxwings are one of our few autumn-winter joys.

Waxwing voice:

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Text used:
A. Gorkanova. "Migratory and wintering birds of Russia. Thematic dictionary in pictures"
Artist: Ekaterina Reznichenko

The world of birds is huge. They all differ from each other in various respects, but there are two large groups of birds - migratory and sedentary. In this article we will try to figure it out: waxwings - or not?

Who is this?

So, who is the waxwing, why is it called that and what does this bird look like? It is worth saying that this is the closest relative of the well-known sparrow, but has much more beautiful plumage and bright appearance. And the bird got its name because of its special singing, similar to a whistle: “Svi-ri-ri.”

Appearance

Waxwings are small birds, up to about 20 cm, and weighing about 70 g. It will be very difficult to confuse this bird with another, because it has a beautiful crest on its head and a bright, memorable color. The color of the body is predominantly gray-pink, but the wings are multi-colored, “painted”. They can intertwine colors such as black, yellow, orange, white. The crest of waxwings is also gray-pink, and there will definitely be colored stripes at the tip of the tail. There are three species of these birds. And females and males are practically indistinguishable in appearance. However, as usual, there are some nuances: there is a species where the male waxwings are completely black, and the females are gray.

Location

Information about where the waxwing lives will be interesting. So, its main place of residence is the tundra and taiga of Eurasia. However, these birds can also be found in North America. They love more coniferous forests, however, flocks can also be seen in mixed areas, where there are birch and spruce trees. Many may be interested in the question: is the waxwing a migratory bird or not? But it is difficult to give an exact answer. She is neither migratory nor sedentary. But you can definitely call her nomadic. It is during movements that scientists study it; when birds do not fly from place to place, they lead a very secretive lifestyle, and it is almost impossible to observe them. Having figured out whether waxwings are migratory or not, it is also worth saying that they prefer colder places to hot ones, so if they fly away, it’s not to warmer climes, but in cool areas.

About life

Having understood whether the waxwing is a migratory bird or not, it is worth talking about how the life of these birds works. So, they start building nests in early spring, however, they use soft feathers rather than hard branches for bedding. It is here that the female will hatch the eggs, and the male will carefully feed his offspring. These birds feed mainly on berries in winter; they especially love rowan, barberry, mistletoe, raspberries, rose hips (most). As for the summer period, at this time waxwings eat the shoots of young animals, seeds, ripened berries. An interesting fact will be that with their small beak in flight these birds can capture small midges, mosquitoes and even small butterflies. As for food, waxwings eat a lot, trying to fill their stomachs with any food as much as possible, it is easy to find out where they feast, because under the branches of trees you can always find incompletely digested berries. However, this also has its own benefit, in this way the birds spread the young by scattering seeds throughout the area where they live.

Having figured out whether the waxwing is a migratory bird or not, it is also worth telling a few fun facts about them. So, the behavior of these birds in the autumn is interesting. This is due to the fact that at this time the berries begin to ferment a little, and the voracious waxwings, having eaten such fruits, feel something similar to intoxication. However, this will not always seem fun, because in this state the birds often crash into various obstacles that appear in their way. Birds experience the same condition in the spring when they drink fermented maple sap. As for winter, there is another danger: waxwings can eat frozen berries and fall under the trees frozen. After some time, the bird may move away, but often this also ends in the death of the birds. The mating season of waxwings is associated not with dancing, but with food. Thus, the male, as a sign of favor, will carry berries to his lady, later helping to feed, but not hatch, the offspring.

Enemies

The first enemies of these birds are martens and squirrels, which eat not only eggs, but also newly hatched chicks. Among the birds dangerous to waxwings are owls, hawks and even crows. Having figured out whether the waxwing is a migratory bird or not, people try to feed these beauties. As for communication, these birds are reluctant to contact people, but with great desire they fly to various feeders that are hung in parks and other recreation areas.

Student Research Project primary school"Wonder bird waxwing"

Author: Mikhailova Anastasia, 3rd grade student of the Yakshur-Bodinskaya Secondary School of the Yakshur-Bodinsky District of the Udmurt Republic.
Supervisor: Elena Gennadievna Baykuzina, primary school teacher at the Yakshur-Bodinskaya secondary school, Yakshur-Bodinskaya district of the Udmurt Republic.
Description: this work talks about feathered representatives of songbirds - waxwings, their habits, habitat and living conditions.
Purpose: the material is useful for children of primary school age.
Target: find out the habits, habitat and living conditions of feathered representatives of songbirds - waxwings, and also find out what they eat.
Tasks: find information about waxwings: pick up literature in the school and district library, study Internet sources.

One day, returning home from school, I discovered a flock of surprisingly beautiful birds, which had a bright and unusual color: pinkish-gray plumage, breast white, and the tip of the tail is bright yellow. There was a crest on the head. I especially remember their singing: a quivering, lingering trill, somewhat reminiscent of the chirping of grasshoppers. I became very interested in who these songbirds were and, when I came home, I looked into the encyclopedia. It turns out that these elegant crested birds are waxwings. I wanted to learn more about the habits, habitat and living conditions of these feathered representatives of songbirds, and also find out what they eat. This was the goal of my work.
In order to find out, I set the following task for myself: to find information about the waxwing: select literature in the school and district library, study Internet sources.
Description of the waxwing
Waxwings are small, very beautiful songbirds common in the northern regions of Eurasia and North America. Representatives of the waxwing family are poorly studied today, so much of their life remains unknown even to biologists. The small family has only 3 species.
The waxwing is popularly considered a “beautiful bird” that cannot sing, but only chirps and whistles, emitting characteristic trills - “sviririri...”. Flocks of waxwings, elegant crested birds, always attract the attention of people in cities and countryside. These short-legged birds are slightly smaller than a starling. The tops of their heads are decorated with large pink tufts. The body (about 15 - 18 cm long) is covered with pinkish-gray plumage. It is brownish-gray with red plumage, and from a distance it looks pinkish-gray. Stripes of yellow and white coloring are clearly visible on the black wings. The tail, throat and stripe near the eyes are black. The tail is edged with a yellow stripe, the wings are decorated with a narrow white stripe. Up close you can see the red tips of the flight feathers.
Waxwings have a dense build with silky and beautiful reddish-brown plumage. On long wings songbird The white and yellow segments are clearly visible, the tail is decorated with a yellow outline. The beak is straight, ending at the end with a tiny tooth. The colorful appearance of the waxwing is completed by a small crest on the head and a red undertail. Females and males are similar in appearance.
They build their nests at different heights of trees. The nest is made from building material who is always nearby. These are dry twigs, grass stems, moss and lichen. The entire structure (more than 20 cm in diameter and about 10 cm in height) is lined inside with soft feathers and down.

Habitat
Waxwings usually live in coniferous and birch forests; in eastern Siberia they are recorded among larch forests. They are not migratory birds, although in winter they roam in large flocks south of their usual habitats. During this period they can be seen in Crimea, the south of France, Italy, Switzerland, Bulgaria, Romania, Poland, and Turkey. And also in the Faroe Islands, Iceland and Greenland.
The summer habitat and nesting area of ​​waxwings is the entire taiga zone of Russia, including the forest-tundra. These are coniferous forests, mixed forests and clearings in the northern part of the country. Most often, waxwings are found in places where spruce, birch and pine trees grow.
Waxwing nutrition
In their homeland, waxwings feed on berries, small fruits, buds, young shoots and insects. Birds have become adept at grabbing mosquitoes, dragonflies, butterflies and midges on the fly and finding larvae. In autumn, waxwings have to fly away from these places not so much from the cold as from hunger. They are driven by the need to find places where there is a lot of food. Waxwings usually become "vegetarians" during their travels. If there are a lot of berries, then the birds stop for a while and eat their fill. They like the berries of rowan, juniper, viburnum, rose hips, barberry and other trees and shrubs.
Waxwings have an excellent appetite. Voracious waxwings eat a lot and quickly. They swallow the berries whole. In such quantities that their stomachs do not have time to digest food.
In the warm weather of autumn, many berries spoil right on the bushes and begin to ferment. Voracious waxwings, having pecked at these berries, experience a state similar to intoxication. As a result, they are poorly oriented, crash on any obstacle and die. In the spring, this happens when birds drink fermented maple sap.
These birds sometimes visit feeders and willingly peck seeds and dried berries.
Conclusion.Having studied literature in the library and Interesting Facts From Internet sources, I learned a lot about this wonderful bird, the waxwing, about their habits, habitat and living conditions.
Caring for birds in particularly cold and difficult times for them winter period necessary, because the fate of many birds largely depends on the kindness, generosity and mercy of humans. There is a proverb: “He who is full is not afraid of the cold.” This will be my goal further work on making winter treats for birds.

Poem.
Do you remember the birds - fringes among the snow
On a spring day they flew before us,
It turned out they were waxwings,
We didn't even know about these.

Curious points of the eyes
In plumage of bright colors,
Trembling slightly on a lilac branch,
They looked at us fearlessly.

There were bird calls everywhere,
These two were just shaking a bush,
They were silent about their waxwings,
Only the wind ruffled the tufts.

And although the waxwing is our singer,
But he did not give out the March trill,
It’s not time – maybe it will flare up in April
His silver bell.

With a red tint, like a parade,
An excellent tail with a yellow stripe,
And according to the book he is “ordinary”
Our sparrows are our blood brothers.

He is gluttonous and eats berries,
Unable to cope with food at times,
And accidentally their seeds
It scatters the surrounding lands.

That's how sweet the hawthorn is here,
And the expanse of raspberries, rowan trees,
And lingonberry-blueberry mixture
Covers forest hollows.

Soon the snowy bed will melt,
Dragging us into spring...
Let us know that there is such a bird,
Our forest cockerel is a waxwing.
(Vladimir Lanin)

Literature:
Birds of Russia. Determinant/A.A. Mosalov 2013
Encyclopedia of animals and plants. More than 750 species. F. Dierschke, 2013

Who are waxwings? There is a popular belief that the Waxwing bird, a drunkard, having pecked at fermented berries, tumbles in the snowdrifts or, like a drunken man, flies, staggering from side to side, sometimes not noticing barriers and obstacles in its path. And someone will say waxwings - bright whistles, like New Year's toys - bells, hung on the branches of rowan trees in city parks and squares, amusing passers-by with their ringing.

Waxwing habitat

The waxwing mainly lives in mixed, birch and coniferous forests in the north of the Eurasian part of Russia or Europe and North America. In our open spaces, the waxwing lives in taiga forests and forest-tundra.

Some people have a question: is the waxwing a wintering bird or not? Most consider these birds to be nomads, but it would be more accurate to say that the waxwing is a conditionally nomadic bird. If there is a mild winter in its habitat and there is a sufficient amount of food, the waxwings may stay and overwinter. Otherwise, the flocks leave their range and move to southwestern areas, such as:

• Caucasus and Crimean Peninsula in Russia,
• Poland, France, Italy in Europe,
• flying all the way to Mexico in North America.

In search of food (various fruits and berries), waxwings make short stops along the way, the so-called nomads, and then fly further. With the arrival of spring, the flocks return to the north, their native land.

Description of the waxwing

The description of the waxwing bird is simple; our hero resembles a sparrow in size. The bird has a size of 18 to 23 cm and a weight of 60 to 70 g. The largest representatives of the species sometimes reach a weight of 100 g. The color is not so bright, but varied. The bird's body has a gray-pink tint, like a cloudy sky at sunset. The wings are black, interspersed with white and yellow stripes, as well as faint red colors.

On the head there is a pointed crest like a cap. From the body to the tail, the color scheme goes from gray to black, ending with a bright yellow stripe, as if a brush had been dipped in paint. From the beak to the chest the color is black in the form of a spot, around the eyes there is also a black color, reminiscent of a carnival mask.

The European female and male do not differ in color, but the Black Waxwing lives in America. It is jet black in males and gray in females. Red eyes and a long, pointed tail. Some scholars classify black birds as a separate subspecies of birds.

Our hero's singing is similar to the sounds of a pipe, so children's toys - bird whistles - are associated with this bird. When conceived, the waxwing is a fast and nimble bird; only at the time of nesting does it behave secretly and practically not catch the eye. But during winter flights, our hero can be found everywhere in parks, squares, and gardens.

Waxwing nutrition

Most of the time, the waxwing is busy searching for food, gathering in flocks of 5 to 30 or more individuals. In its native places of “permanent residence,” the waxwing’s diet is varied. Various larvae, dragonflies, midges, butterflies, mosquitoes caught in flight feed the chicks with them. Among plant foods, they prefer tree buds, young shoots of plants, mistletoe, mulberries and other berries. And in the autumn they can profit from the fruits of garden trees left over from the unharvested harvest.

With the onset of cold weather and the lack of available food, waxwings, heading for a nomadic migration, stop in places with an abundant harvest of various berries. Almost all berries are eaten:

• dog-rose fruit,
• barberry,
• juniper,
• viburnum,
• bird cherry,
• hawthorn,
• mistletoe,
• rowan,
• lingonberries,
• privet,
• lilac and mulberry.

They, akin to locusts, completely sweep away all the berries hanging on the branches, greedily stuffing their crops, often hanging upside down. The waxwing will never go down to the ground and snow, unlike bullfinches, to pick up a fallen berry. Mistletoe - this is how they were called in some places where mistletoe grows, for their love for the white, juicy fruits of this plant.

Eating greedily a large number of bright and juicy berries, the body of a rather small bird cannot cope with such an amount of food, and removes excess berries from the body. After this, characteristic red spots from pecked and undigested berries form on the snow. From these tracks one can judge the arrival of waxwings. This feature birds can be classified as the original way transfer and distribution of plant seeds.

Often, when eating everything possible, fermented berries left on the branches end up in food. Intoxicated birds lose the ability to fly, do not orient themselves in space, and crash into various obstacles. The sad, frightening sight has long been interpreted as a bad omen. Most often, drunken waxwings are found in the spring after the birds have consumed fermented maple sap.

Classification

Currently there are different kinds waxwings, only 9 species of birds have been described, forming two families previously belonging to one:

• Silk waxwings;
• Waxwings

Silky waxwings form 2 genera and 6 species of birds; due to their greater openness, the black silky waxwing is best described.

Waxwings include one genus and 3 species, which include the most common common waxwing. There are two of them in Russia.

• American waxwing, another name for cedar waxwing, is common in the northern United States and Canada. This individual is distinguished from all waxwings by its yellow belly. Of all the individuals have the average size with a body length of about 20 cm.
• The Amur waxwing is one of all its relatives included in the Red Book. It is the smallest bird of the entire species, reaching only 16 centimeters in length. Individuals of this species are widespread not only in the Far Eastern region of Russia, but also beyond its borders in the countries of Asia and Japan.

• The common waxwing lives in our Siberian taiga. The birds reach a length of up to 25 cm.
• The black waxwing is the only species of all birds whose colors differ among different sexes. The female is gray in color, and the male is black, with a bluish tint. They have an elongated tail and a pointed crest on the head. Habitat in America, mainly in the south of the continent.
• Silk waxwing - lives in the tropics and subtropics of America. The main part is distributed in Mexico and is distinguished by the absence of a crest in comparison with other brothers.

The differences between the ordinary waxwing and the silk waxwing are only in the color and shape of the elongated tail. In all other characteristics: the size of the wings, legs, beak, they are similar.

Reproduction and lifespan

In the spring, last year's partners do not always stay together; some waxwings form new pairs. Therefore, this bird cannot be called monogamous. Pairs create nests in the vicinity of other pairs. At this time, during early May to early June, the birds become quiet. Neither the singing nor themselves can be heard. Mating games involve the male feeding the female the berries he has obtained. After which begins the process of mating and construction of housing for future offspring.

Waxwings try to build nests on coniferous trees, in sparsely located plantings, near water, at an altitude of about 10-12 m. The shape of the nest resembles a bowl. To build a strong nest use:

• feathers,
• spruce branches,
• grass,
• lichen,
• tufts of fur from various animals.

The female lays up to 6 bluish-purple eggs and incubates for 14-15 days. Meanwhile, the male is busy collecting and delivering food to the female.

The emerging chicks are fed insects, which contributes to their rapid growth; after 2-3 weeks the chicks are ready to fly out of the nest, preparing for independent life. At the age of one year, waxwings are already ready to create offspring. Life cycle These birds are about 10-13 years old, although some die at an early age from predators.

Waxwing in captivity

What to feed a waxwing at home

• insects,
• meat,
• cottage cheese,
• carrot,
• pieces of fruit or dried fruit,
• vegetables and greens.

The floor of the cage or enclosure must be dry and clean; sawdust is used to maintain cleanliness and cleaning is carried out in a timely manner.

Breeding in captivity

The process of breeding these birds in captivity is similar to their behavior in the natural environment. For birds that have created a pair, it is necessary to bring the diet as close as possible to what the birds would receive in their natural habitat. You should increase the amount of protein foods and introduce into your diet:

• insects,
• insect larvae,
• ant eggs.

Future parents should also be isolated from outside interference and anxiety from others

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