Latin name Bombycilla garrulus
Family Waxwings (Bombycillidae)
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Waxwing Nikon D300S, f5, 1/640th, ISO320
Photo taken at Shirley near Croydon 30th November 2012
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Overview
The waxwing is a plump bird, which is slightly smaller than a starling. It has a prominent crest. It is reddish-brown with a black throat, a small black mask round its eye, yellow and white in the wings and a yellow-tipped tail. It does not breed in the UK, but is a winter visitor, in some years in larger numbers, called irruptions, when the population on its breeding grounds gets too big for the food available.
Where to see them
The first British arrivals each winter are usually seen on the east coast from Scotland to East Anglia, but birds move inland in search of food, increasing the chances of seeing one inland.
When to see them
October to March.
What they eat
Berries, particularly rowan and hawthorn, but also cotoneaster and rose.
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