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Since we were so honored in receiving the Thinking Blogger Award yesterday by our dear friends Luxor and Daisy, we had to really think about today's TT. So, we decided to have a skool day and learn all about Cedar Waxwing Fev-vers!!
1. This is a Cedar Waxwing.
2. It is the most specialized fruit eating bird in N. America.
3. They travel in flocks typically from about 30-100, but can reach 1000.
4. Here is a flock outside our kitchen window last month. If you look really closely, you can count 16 birds in the tree.
5. They were eating the berries off the Yaupon Holly tree by our kitchen window. This is what the berries look like.
6. Cedar Waxwings have also been in our backyard eating the ornamental pears from our Aristocrat Pear tree. Here is a picture of that fruit.
7. Since they rely on ripening fruit to feed their hatchlings, they are among the last N. American birds to nest.
8. The highest concentrations of wintering Cedar Waxwings occur in central Texas in the oak-juniper savanna and in Alabama and eastern Mississippi in stands of juniper, sweet gum, and oak.
9. Their summer range is southern Canada from southeastern Alaska and northern British Columbia to central Ontario, southern Quebec, and central Newfoundland. They breed as far south as Maryland and Virginia (and in the mountains as far south as northern Georgia), across the northern United States to northern California.
10. Their summer habitat is open woodlands, fruiting trees and orchards.
11. They are 7" (18cm) long.
12. They are vulnerable to alcohol intoxication and death after eating fermented fruit.
13. The first time Maw noticed a flock of Cedar Waxwings, she was volunteering as a Research Aide at the Dallas Zoo in the Okapi Barn. Here is a picture of an Okapi. We think we'll do a TT on Okapis next week. We bet you think it's related to the Zebra, don't you?
Luf, Us
24 comments:
That Zebra's hiney is funny looking! HeeHee!
I don't think I've ever seen one of those birds, although we get a lot of mud swallows down here. What a funny-looking creature that Okapi is - are you sure it's not related to the vishus deer???
Great post! Looks like we are having nature day today! Mom loves that bird, its so pretty!
Mom knows the DYC common name well, its amazaing how many wild flowers have that common name!
Tara
We have a huge holly bush I wonder if the Cedar Waxwings come to visit. We'll have to pay more attention!
Kaze
That was a great lesson! Those birds look like they'd be lots of fun to watch. So cool that you had such a big flock of them outside your window!
Fun! We've had those in our yard. Never that many tho. Mommy is going to plant more stuff for the birdies this year. They have the woods behind our house where berries grow, but we can't see them as well back there!
No cedar waxwings here. But we DO have blue tits.
Thanks for the info on the birdies. I once heard that other animals who eat fermented fruit sometimes get "drunk" and indeed, some animals (not just humans) have gotten addicted.
Yup, we gets drunken skwerrels in da late fall frum dem eeting da apples dat fall on da grownd and ferment. Der fun to watch. I wonder if swerrels get hang-overs?
Wow we's is getting schooled on fev-vers...we love fev-vers!!! I learndit a lot today!!
FANKS!
Abby
Hi gang!
We think that you are right! That was a female cedar waxwing that Shaggy is sitting by on our blog! If you biggify the picture you can see the yellow tip on her tail. Mom had no idea really what she was! What a coincidence we would both have that on our blogs!
Oh I am furry excited to hear about the Okapi (which I think is closer to a giraffe - but shorter)
Where does the name Cedar Wax Wing come from? Is it like ear wax? I hav lots and lots of that wax.
I hope one of you gets to taste one! Maybe one will get in your outside porch! It probably tastes like chicken - yum!
That was a very good lesson! I took notes just in case we get quizzed on it later.
purrs,
Icon
I am studying too. Because I want to get an A, in case there is a pop quiz. Those birdies are very cute. I like the little feathers on his head.
I want to learn about the Okapis too!
hey ... dat okapi lookz like a tabby! iz it related?
i learned all abowt waxwingz today. thank u!
luv--yer frend--jh
Wow, this was so imformative, even mommie's mouth is hanging open.
Beautiful birdie and the okapi is too cool. ... just too cool
We have them cedar waxwings here too (SW OK). They stop at our holly on their way back from the Great White North.
Thanks for the lesson on Waxwings. I have never seen one before, but now I'm ready!
Life is strange, Mommy just came back from a store in O Hi O and had bought a bird feeder and seed. Then, there is a post from you about birdies she saw in O Hi O. Kinda like the Twilight Zone!
Purrs!
them is kool fevvers. mommees wants to know about the okapis.
yuki & kimiko
That could be a vishus deer purrtendin to be a zebra! We get Cedar Waxwings in our crabapple trees an one year, a whole flock was in it, rite outside the window, on May Day! I fink May Day is comin again, so I's keepin a lookout fur them big, lovely fev-vers.
Note to Bow: you've been nominated for the Thinking Blog award! Head over to Sweet Sixteens to check it out!
love
--suz
Those birdies look YUMMY!
DMM
PeeSsss: My cousin Zoey has a brand new bloggie! Stop by if you get the chance! You can find her at http://mkandthecrew.blogspot.com/
This is a very interesting blog, I can't wait to hear about the Okapi (is that stripey leggings they are wearing in this picture?). FAZ
way cool! we paid attention to all the details. we wanna do good on the quiz. by the way...how duz that fev-ver taste?
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