Cedar Waxwing

This feather belongs to the Cedar Waxwing, a medium-sized social bird famous for its silky brown and grey plumage, black mask, and waxy red wing tips. The tail is most known for its bright yellow tip, but in some individuals or specific lighting/mutations, the tip can appear white or cream, or perhaps belong to a juvenile or a Bohemian Waxwing variant.

Basal and medial portions are a smooth, smoky slate-grey, transitioning to a dark charcoal/blackish subterminal band, ending in a bright, pale white-to-creamy terminal tip.

Pennaceous and tightly interlocked throughout most of the vane, with plumulaceous (fluffy) barbs near the calamus (base)

Rachis is white at the base, turning dark where the pigment increases; barbs are densely packed at a consistent angle to the shaft

Silky, smooth, and matte; waxwings are known for their exceptionally sleek plumage which appears almost airbrushed

Tail (Rectrix); specifically one of the outer or central tail feathers given the symmetry and distinct terminal banding

Distinct tri-color transition: slate grey base, dark subterminal band, and a pale (typically yellow, here appearing white) terminal band

Open woodlands, orchards, suburban gardens, and riparian areas rich in berry-producing shrubs and trees

Breeds across southern Canada and the northern United States; winters throughout the U.S. and into Central America

Primary seed dispersers for many fruiting plants, playing a vital role in forest regeneration

Bohemian Waxwing (larger, grey-bellied, tail tip always yellow), and various flycatchers (which lack the distinct terminal band)

Cedar Waxwings can become intoxicated if they eat over-ripe berries that have fermented into alcohol; they are one of the few North American birds that can survive primarily on fruit for months

Waxwing feathers have historically been admired in art but are not traditionally used in commercial industry; they are icons of suburban birding

Look for these feathers under berry bushes (like Cedar or Juniper) or beneath popular roosting trees in late summer and fall during molt

Good condition; slight fraying at the edges, no visible fault bars or parasite damage, suggesting a healthy molt