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| Waxwings and HypocoliusWaxwingBombycilla garrulus |
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En. Waxwing, Da. Silkehale, Du. Pestvogel, Fi. Tilhi, Fr. Jaseur de Bohême, Ge. Seidenschwanz, It. Beccofrusone, No. Sidensvans, Sp. Ampelis europeo, Sw. Sidensvans
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(many
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winter adults feeding, Northumberland, January.
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winter flock in tree, Northumberland, January.
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(the
text below is an abridged version of the extensive birdfile feature
available in full on all our CD-ROM
Guides)
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Even non-birdwatchers get excited about these distinctive, colourful and famously approachable birds. They usually offer ample opportunity to appreciate their sandy plumage with a full crest, black bib, yellow tips to the tail feathers and white markings in the wings. Even the little red waxy tips to the secondaries can often be seen very well. |
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Breeds in coniferous woodland with deep undergrowth. Winters in gardens, parks, hawthorn thickets and hedges. |
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An annual winter visitor in extremely variable numbers. Some years hardly any occur, but in others such as the winter of 1995/96, thousands turn up, including many flocks of over 500 birds. Often found in town centres or suburban gardens where they feed on berry bushes. |
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This irruptive species can be present in impressive numbers in some winters but then absent from the same area for many years. To some extent this is also true in the breeding areas in Scandinavia where they can be unmissable in some years but elusive in others. If you spend a few days in the forests of northern Finland though, from Kuusamo to Karigasniemi, you should at least hear some. |
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| A winter visitor to northern and eastern Britain with numbers varying from a few dozen in most years to several thousand in an 'irruption' year. Numbers arriving in Britain are determined by the crop of Rowan berries in Scandinavia. If there is a bumper berry crop, many Waxwings survive the winter so the breeding population increases dramatically. However, the Rowan trees are unable to produce a large berry crop in two successive years so at the end of the summer there are exceptionally high numbers of Waxwings but small quantities of berries. The Waxwings turn to ornamental plants and therefore invade towns and villages, devouring every berry in sight before moving on to the next town or even the next country. |
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| 34-90,000 breeding pairs in northern Scandinavia. |
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©BirdGuides
1999
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