Bombycillidae Archives

Bombycillidae - Waxwings, Silky-flycatchers

There are eight species of birds in this family.

WAXWINGS

There are three species of waxwings. Waxwings have crests on their heads, black face masks, and soft brownish-gray feathers.

Two of the species, the Cedar waxwing (Bombycilla cedrorum) and the Bohemian waxwing (Bombycilla garrulus), are found in North America. The Bohemian waxwing is found in Canada and in Alaska, Washington, Idaho, and Montana. The cedar waxwing is found in North America from Canada south to Panama. Both species have a waxy red tip on the end of their wings and a waxy yellow tip on their tails.

The Japanese waxwing (Bombycilla japonica) has the same red waxy substance on the tips of its wing feathers and a waxy tip on its tail feathers.

Waxwings are found in forests and eat insects and berries. They often move in large flocks from berry source to berry source, where they strip a bush or tree clean of berries before moving on!

SILKY-FLYCATCHERS

There are four species of silky-flycatchers. They are found from the woodlands of the Southwestern United States south to Panama. They have crests on their heads and range in color from black to gray to yellow. They eat insects and berries.

The phainopepla (Phainopepla nitens) is a silky-flycatcher found in the scrublands of the western United States from central California south to Mexico and east to Texas. Like the waxwings, it has a crest on its head. Males are black and females are gray. It has a long tail and white wing patches. It eats mistletoe berries, but it will eat juniper berries, elderberries, and insects if it can’t find mistletoe.

HYPOCOLIUS

The gray hypocolius is sometimes placed in its own family, Hypocoliidae. It is found in the Middle East. It breeds in Iraq, Iran, and Pakistan, and it winters around the Red Sea, the Persian Gulf, and the coasts of Saudi Arabia. It lives in brush and scrub areas.

The gray hypocolius is about the size of a cardinal. It has a long tail and a small bill. Females are all gray. Males are gray with a black mask around their eyes, black edges to their wings, and a black tipped tail. The hypocolius eats berries and insects.

Cedar Waxwing
(Bombycilla cedrorum)

The cedar waxwing's breeding range runs from the southern half of Canada to the northern half of the United States. The cedar waxwing's winter range stretches from the United States and Mexico south to Panama. The cedar waxwing breeds in Nw Hampshire. IUCN Redlist Status: Least Concern
Cedar Waxwing
(Bombycilla cedrorum)

The cedar waxwing is mostly frugivorous. That means it is a fruit eater. Most of its diet is made up of berries, especially in the winter. IUCN Redlist Status: Least Concern
Cedar Waxwing
(Bombycilla cedrorum)

The male cedar waxwing courts a female by doing a hopping dance and passing berries or pieces of fruit to the female. If the female is interested, she does a hopping dance and passes the fruit or berry back to the male. IUCN Redlist Status: Least Concern
Bohemian Waxwing
(Bombycilla garrulus)

The bohemian waxwing's breeding range runs from Alaska east to Manitoba, Canada. In the winter, it can be found in areas between the U.S. and Canadian border and as far south as Nevada, Utah, and Nebraska in the West. IUCN Redlist Status: Least Concern
Bohemian Waxwing
(Bombycilla garrulus)

The bohemian waxwing has white and yellow edges on its wings and a waxy yellow tip on its tail. The cedar waxwing looks similar to the bohemiasn waxwing, but it does not have white edges on its wings or the reddish color under its tail. IUCN Redlist Status: Least Concern
Bohemian Waxwing
(Bombycilla garrulus)

Bohemian waxwings are non-territorial and often travel in flocks of 50-300 birds or more birds. They often appear in a spot with a good crop of berries. When they have eaten all the berries, they move on. IUCN Redlist Status: Least Concern
Japanese Waxwing
(Bombycilla japonica)

The Japanese waxwing is found in China, Japan, North and South Korea, Russia, and Taiwan. IUCN Redlist Status: Near Threatened
Japanese Waxwing
(Bombycilla japonica)

The Japanese waxwing has the same waxy red tips on its wings and a waxy tip on its tail feathers. IUCN Redlist Status: Near Threatened
Gray Hypocolius
(Hypocolius ampelinus)

The gray hypocolius breeds in Iraq, Iran, Afghanistan, Pakistan, and Turkmenistan. IUCN Redlist Status: Least Concern
Phainopepla
(Phainopepla nitens)

The phainopepla is found in the scrublands of the western United States from central California south to Mexico and east to Texas. IUCN Redlist Status: Least Concern
Long-tailed Silky Flycatcher
(Ptiliogonys caudatus)

The long-tailed silky flycatcher is found in Costa Rica and Panama. IUCN Redlist Status: Least Concern