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Waxwing ID Workshop

Radd Icenoggle — Thu, 26 Jan 2012 20:00:58 +0000

The noble Bohemian Waxwing. Note the red "waxy" bead on the wing

Fruits were ripped from their stems as the ravenous flock worked to clean this tree. Sharp, hooked bills spear the red flesh as more waxwings pile into the tangle of branches. The composite flock of ~300 birds was predominately (95%) Bohemian Waxwings and the reminder were Cedar Waxwings. The game was to pick out the occasional Cedar from amongst all of those Bohemians. The casual identification workshop kept me entertained for the better part of an hour, just before inclement weather moved into the valley.

The first identifying characteristic of both waxwings is their unique waxy beads located on the tips of the secondaries of adults. The waxy substance is generally bright red. The red coloration is due to a carotenoid pigment (a pigment coming solely for the waxwings’ diet). The size of the beads increases over the course of the first few basic molts. So, waxwing is not such a creative name after all.

Identifying Characteristics

	Bohemian	Cedar
Size	Slightly larger. Only useful in side by side comparison	Smaller
Overall Coloration	Grayish	Brownish
Undertail Coverts	Reddish-brown	White
Wing Patch	Visible white	Not Present
Wing Spots	Yellow	Not Present
Voice	Deeper and harsher than Cedar	Thinner, higher pitched

Note the undertail coverts, white patch, yellow wing spots, and grayish color overall

Note the undertail coverts, no white patch, no yellow wing spots, and brownish color overall

Here in Montana and for majority of the United States, there is a prevailing seasonal pattern of occurrence for these two species. Bohemian Waxwings dominate the winter numbers with a smattering of Cedar Waxwings that have stayed behind as the majority of their species moved south. During the summer months, it is almost with 100% certainty that every waxwing is a Cedar. The Bohemians have gone, for the most part, into the boreal forests of the Canada and Alaska.

A rather stylish Bohemian Waxwing	Brightly plumaged Cedar Waxwing
Bohemian Waxwing in a classic pose	Bohemian Waxwing chowing down

The Juvenile-plumaged Cedar Waxwing

As Cedar Waxwings breed and nest quite late in the summer as to take advantage of the flush of ripening fruit, their young undertake their molt into adult plumage late as well. In fact, they may be in juvenile plumage in January, as was the case with the bird below.

Rose-breasted vs. Black-headed Grosbeak

Radd Icenoggle — Mon, 23 May 2011 20:29:44 +0000

Singing Rose-breasted Grosbeak

For the second summer in a row, we here in the Gallatin Valley have been treated to a visit from a Rose-breasted Grosbeak. A highly vocal male, he successfully bred with a Black-headed Grosbeak female last year. On Saturday morning, I was treated to great views of this vagrant songster and comparative Black-headed Grosbeak males.

After watching him for quite some time, I started to hear competing Black-headed Grosbeaks singing with ever-increasing volume as the Sun warmed the morning. Grabbing the iPhone, two recordings of the species were taken in an effort to aid to determining species using sound alone. Also, when listening to these recording, see how many other species are vocalizing in the background.

[wpaudio url="wp-content/uploads/2011/05/RBGR.mp3" text="Singing Rose-breasted Grosbeak" dl="0"]

[wpaudio url="wp-content/uploads/2011/05/BHGR.mp3" text="Singing Black-headed Grosbeak" dl="0"]

The tonality and pattern is too close to that of the Black-headed Grosbeak to be useful for identification. However, the repeated bouts of 3-4 “weep” notes are unique.

Breeding Gull Identification Key

Radd Icenoggle — Tue, 06 Oct 2009 15:20:44 +0000

As fall (or is it winter with 3 inches of snow on the ground) comes Montana, we are starting to see rare gulls with a Lesser Black-backed and Mew Gulls observed already. So, I went on a search for gull identification tools, and found a great key by Dennis Paulson from Puget Sound University. You can find the original with links to gull images at http://www.pugetsound.edu/x6183.xml.

Breeding Adult Identification Chart

Identification Chart for Pacific Northwest Gulls (Breeding Adults)

White Head, White Tail

Species	Mantle	Bill	Legs	Iris	Eyering
Ivory	white	yellowish with greenish base and orange tip	black	brown	red
Glaucous	very pale gray	yellow with red spot	pink	pale yellow	yellow to yellow-orange
Iceland	very pale gray	yellow with red spot	pink	pale yellow	red
Herring	pale gray	yellow with red spot	pink	pale yellow	yellow-orange
Thayer’s	pale gray	yellow with red spot	pink	brown to dull yellow	reddish-purple
Ring-billed	pale gray	yellow with black ring	yellow	pale yellow	orange-red
Ross’s	pale gray	blackish	red	brown	red
Glaucous-winged	neutral gray	yellow with red spot	pink	brown to pale brown	pink to purple
California	neutral gray	yellow with red and black spots	green to gray	brown	red
Mew	neutral gray	dull yellow	dull yellow	brown	red
Black-legged Kittiwake	neutral gray	yellow	black	brown	red
Western	dark gray	yellow with red spot	pink	yellow to pale brown	yellow-orange
Red-legged Kittiwake	dark gray	yellow	red	brown	red
Great Black-backed	very dark gray	yellow with red spot	pink	pale yellow	red
Slaty-backed	very dark gray	yellow with red spot	pink	pale yellow	reddish
Lesser Black-backed	very dark gray	yellow with red spot	yellow	pale yellow	red

White Head, Dark Tail

Species	Mantle	Bill	Legs	Iris	Eyering
Heermann’s	dark brownish-gray	red with black tip	black	brown	red

Dark (Black, Dark Brown, Gray) Head, White Tail

Species	Mantle	Bill	Legs	Iris	Eyering
Black-headed	very pale gray	dark red	dark red	brown	maroon-red
Bonaparte’s	pale gray	black	orange-red	brown	black
Little	pale gray	blackish	reddish	brown	brown
Sabine’s	neutral gray	black with yellow tip	black	brown	red
Laughing	dark gray	dark red	dark red	brown	red
Franklin’s	dark gray	red	red	brown	red