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Bohemian waxwing

Bohemian waxwing (Bombycilla garrulus)
Photo provided by Ohotnik/pond5.com

Features and Behaviors

FEATURES
The Bohemian waxwing is about eight and one-fourth inches long. It has a moveable crest of feathers on its head. The feathers are mainly gray-brown in color. There is a thin black stripe through the eye with a white stripe below it. The tail has a yellow tip. The wings include some yellow, white and red markings. The feathers below the tail are orange-red.

BEHAVIORS
This species eats insects, fruits and berries. In summer, the Bohemian waxwing lives in Canada and Alaska. In winter, it migrates to southern Canada and the northern United States, occasionally reaching the northern one-fourth of Illinois and even more rarely, central Illinois. Bohemian waxwings are often seen in cities and towns where they feed on the fruits of ornamental trees.

Illinois Range

Taxonomy

​Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Aves
Order: Passeriformes
Family: Bombycillidae

Illinois Status: common, native