Waxwing

Bombycilla garrulus

These exotic-looking birds are irregular winter visitors from Scandinavia, arriving in “irruption years” when food is scarce in their northern homes. They’re particularly drawn to rowan berries, cotoneaster, and other fruits from plants that flowered earlier in the year. Their name comes from the red, waxy tips on their wing feathers, which look like drops of sealing wax. They’re incredibly social, traveling in flocks and often allowing very close approach. Waxwings can eat enormous quantities of berries – sometimes consuming so many fermented fruits that they become intoxicated and unable to fly properly.