Appearance
It is larger and greyer than the Cedar Waxwing and has bright yellow tips on its tail feathers and a yellow or white stripe along the wing feathers. Under tail coverts are a deep rust color. Both beak and feet are dark and the brown eyes are set in a narrow black mask underlined with white.The call is a pleasant ringing sound, similar to that of the Cedar Waxwing but lower-pitched.
Naming
Its English name refers to the bright red bead-like tips of the secondary feathers on its wings, which look like drops of sealing wax, while 'Bohemian' refers to the Romani, with a comparison to this bird's wandering, or to its origin from Bohemia.The generic name "Bombycilla", from Latin "Bombyx" + Scientific Latin "cilla", is a direct translation of the Swedish name 'Sidensvans', silk-tail, and refers to the silky-soft plumage of the bird; the species name "garrulus" means 'talkative' and refers to a resemblance to the European Jay, "Glandularius garrulus",.
Reproduction
The preferred nest location is usually high in a pine tree but feeding opportunities determine the location chosen. Each bird or pair may have more than one nest in the same general area. The nests have an outer diameter of 15 cm to 18 cm and are lined with fine grass, moss, and down. On average, 4 to 6 eggs are laid, the egg shells having a pale bluish color with a heavy sprinkling of blackish spots and some dark, irregular lines. Incubation is around 14 days and the young leave the nest about 13 to 15 days after hatching.
Food
Like other waxwings, its diet consists primarily of berries supplemented by insects, especially during the breeding season.This species is irruptive, moving in unpredictable migration patterns from year to year, and particularly moving south, often in huge numbers, if the berry supply fails in winter.
Birds in winter can be very confiding and will come into gardens for berry bushes and trees, a favourite being the rowan.
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