Cedar Waxwings - with and without Wax-Tipped Wings

At times, Cedar Waxwings' red waxy wingtips seem to be missing — a young bird, perhaps — or simply difficult to see.

Although Cedar Waxwings seem unfinished without the bright identifiers that give them their name, even without them, these birds remain very distinctive, with their black masks and flying head feathers.

Here's a look at a wax-free Cedar Waxwing, and one with bright red wax on its wings.

One of a group of five or six Cedar Waxwings,
none of which sported visible wax.   © SB

Ah, much more bird-book-cliché!
A Cedar Waxwing, with waxy wings! © SB

What is this bird? Cedar Waxwing

Location: Near Regina, Saskatchewan. (First picture, along Seven Bridges Road near Lumsden; second, at Condie Nature Refuge.) 

Photo dates:  First, July 29, 2013; second, May 28, 2013.  

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