Expert: Julia Booth - 7/10/2010

Question
We live in Upstate NY, Saratoga area, and there is a large group of birds cleaning out the false olives and raspberries, both of which they are welcome to.  Anyway, I think they look very much like a cedar waxwing, overall color, crested, black mask, but they do not have the red wing spots or yellow underbelly, and are much smaller.  They are only 5 inches at most.  I have not heard a song from them, and I can't find them in any of my bird books.  Any thoughts?

Answer
Honestly -there is no other bird that is crested and bears the same black mask. The bohemian waxwing is the only bird that is similar in appearance and they are a good deal larger, not smaller. Cedar waxwings are 7 inches long of course, and not five. But other than that, the time of year, the location and the behavior you're describing very definitively suggest cedar waxwing. Bear in mind that their summer plummage is a good deal duller and less attractive and missing some of the signature fieldmarks with which birders are familiar.

Still not sure? We'll take it from there.


Julia