Bird Quiz: Bohemian Waxwing

Congrats to all who guessed write. This is a Bohemian waxwing (Bombycilla garrulus), cousin to the very similar cedar waxwing. But there are some differences—and the former has some pretty awesome traits of its own.

Take our quiz below to determine how much you know about the Bohemian waxing. Then scroll past the picture below for the answers.

1. True or False: These birds are called “Bohemian” because they make their nests from long, flowing skirts. 

2. How do you tell apart Bohemian and cedar waxwings?  
a. The cedar waxing has a white brow, the Bohemian doesn’t
b. The Bohemian waxwing has a reddish undertail, the cedar doesn’t
c. The Bohemian waxwing is larger/bulkier
d. All of the above

3. True or False: The Bohemian waxwing doesn’t have a true song.  

4. What’s the Bohemian waxwing’s diet of choice?
a. Sugary berries and insects
b. Grass
c. Fish and small aquatic animals
d. None of the above

5. True or False: There are four waxwing species.   

Answers
1. True or False: These birds are called “Bohemian” because they make their nests from long, flowing skirts. 
False, of course (though that would make for some pretty interesting nests). The name, according to Cornell’s All About Birds, refers to the nomadic movement of the flocks during wintertime.

2. How do you tell apart Bohemian and cedar waxwings? 
D, all of the above. Though these two species can be tricky to tell apart from afar, when seen next to each other, their differences are clear. As we mentioned above, for the Bohemian waxwing, look for red under its tail feathers and rufous coloring around its face (with no white along the brow). The cedar waxwing also has a brown crest. For a side-by-side comparison, try here and click on “Bohemian waxwing” in the bottom-right corner.

3. True or False: The Bohemian waxwing doesn’t have a true song.  
True! As Cornell’s All About Birds puts it, “the Bohemian waxwing does not hold breeding territories, probably because the fruits it eats are abundant, but available only for short periods. One consequence of this non-territorial lifestyle is that it has no true song.” Why not? No single territory to defend.

4. What’s the Bohemian waxwing’s diet of choice?
A, sugary berries and insects. When it comes to berries, these birds have great taste; they feed on strawberries, mulberries, raspberries, and blackberries, among others. “Many of the same fruits are eaten by Bohemian and cedar waxwings,” notes Birds of North America online, “and seasonal peculiarities in food habits are strikingly similar, including feeding on sap drips in spring; snow in winter; fly-catching aerial insects, especially emergent aquatic species; and gleaning scale insects.”

5. True or False: There are four waxwing species.   
False. There are actually three. In addition to the Bohemian and the cedar, there’s a third called the Japanese waxwing, which has white wing edges (like the Bohemian). Despite its name, this species lives and breeds in Russia, according to BirdLife International. It does show up occasionally in Japan, as well as in Korea, China, and Taiwan.

Test your skills with some of our other bird quizzes: 
- Antillean nighthawk
- Bonaparte’s gull
- Bufflehead
- Eastern meadowlark
- Florida scrub jay
- Hooded merganser
- Northern shoveler
- Pyrrhuloxia
- White-winged crossbill