Female Cedar Waxwings (Male vs Female Identification)

The arrival of a flock of colorful berry-eating waxwings is a sight to brighten up any winter day. With their unusual crests and wax-drop wing markings, cedar waxwings are easy to spot, but how do you tell the males from the females?

Read on to learn about the subtle plumage differences and the more obvious behavioral traits to look out for.

Male and female cedar waxwings are similar in size and appearance, but if you look closely, the male’s throat feathers are darker than the female’s. Female waxwings build nests and incubate eggs alone, while males bring food to their nesting mates.

There are further differences in behavior, related to courtship and involvement in raising young. By knowing what to look for, you will have no problem picking the female from the males in a flock of Cedar Waxwings.

For more tips on how to successfully differentiate male and female Waxwings, read on!

Male (left) and female (right) Cedar Waxwings – note the lighter patch under the chin

How do you know if Cedar Waxwing is male or female?

Subtle differences allow us to distinguish male and female cedar waxwings when looking at pairs, but identifying solitary birds is a bit trickier. Both females and females have a darker chin feather, with the males being slightly darker than the females.

Small differences in overall size may also help identify cedar waxwings as male or female. Males have slightly thicker tails than females, and females are slightly heavier than males during the breeding season.

Male (left) and female (right) Cedar Waxwing pair

What does a female Cedar Waxwing look like?

Female waxwings are similar in size to mynahs but are easily recognizable by their distinctive crests and colorful plumage. They are mostly brownish-pink all over, with dark gray wings and tails ending in a narrow yellow band.

Their secondary wing feathers have red, waxy tips that are visible both in fold and in flight.

Both male and female cedar waxwings have distinct black mask markings with a narrow white line at the edge. Females have brown markings on the throat, males have a darker and more prominent throat.

The belly feathers of the female waxwing are lighter in color, and the lower part gradually turns lemon yellow. They have reddish eyes and black beaks and legs.

Close up of a female cedar waxwing perched in a tree

Are female cedar waxwings bigger than males?

During the breeding season, female cedar waxwings have been reported to be slightly heavier than males, with females averaging 34.4 g (1.2 oz) compared to 32.8 g (1.16 oz) for males.

Males and females are similar in size, 15 to 18 cm (6 to 7 inches) long, with a typical wingspan of 22 to 30 cm (8.7 to 11.8 inches).

behavioral difference

Observing courtship behavior is a useful way of distinguishing male and female cedar waxwings. The males initiate a fascinating mutual feeding ritual.

This involves a male presenting a berry to a female, and then the two birds touch their beaks, jump away, pass the berries between each other, and repeat this exchange before the female finally eats the gift.

If you look closely, you’ll be able to safely tell which bird is which.

Cedar Waxwing Courtship Feeding – Male is passing berries to female

sing and call

Cedar Waxwings have two common calls, made by both males and females, one is “bzeee’ A whistling like trill and hiss rose.

Women can often be heard trilling, high-pitched “bzeee“When courting, they will make a contact call when they hatch, asking the mate to bring food to the nesting site.

nesting and feeding

The choice and construction of the nest site falls to the female waxwing. If attempting to build a second nest, the male may take on the task of gathering additional material, although the weaving talents of the female are unmatched by the male. Females may also steal nesting material from other birds’ nests while building their own.

Once the nest is built and eggs are laid, the female hatches alone, remaining in the nest for most of the day, initially continuing with short breaks to find her own food. As the hatching progresses, the female will flap her wings and call to her mate, begging him to bring her berries to eat.

While the female remains in the nest to incubate her unhatched eggs, the male guards the nest from a higher branch and calls the female to alert her of any predators nearby. Once the pups hatch, the females incubate around the clock until day 9 and then only at night until day 12.

After the chicks hatch, the male cedar waxwings will catch insects and bring them to the nest to feed the chicks and the females, who gradually join the foraging ranks to help feed the chicks. After the first few days, fewer berries are brought into the nest, and the males take on a greater share of the feeding duties.

Feathering begins after 14 to 18 days, and parental feeding of the young by male and female waxwings lasts for 6 to 10 days.

Close up of a cedar pacific female perched on a tree

Can a female cedar waxwing raise her offspring alone?

The female cedar waxwing’s role in nest building, hatching, and brooding complements that of the male, who is watching and bringing food. During the incubation period, the female continues to leave the nest briefly, up to 9 minutes at a time, in order to quickly forage for herself.

Once the chicks have hatched, feeding them can be very demanding, requiring more than 3.8 feedings per hour by day 10. If a cedar waxwing is raising a brood of chicks alone, it is less than ideal, although technically possible according to various reports of success.

Nests are less likely to be successful if the female mate dies leaving the sole male in charge, and male cedar waxwings have been recorded to abandon eggs or young if anything happens to the mate.

Female cedar waxwing eating juniper berries

What color are female Cedar Waxwings?

Female cedar waxwings are mostly pinkish-brown with dark markings around the eyes and throat. Their wings are dark gray with red “waxy” droplets on the wingtips and a bright yellow band at the tip of the tail. Their underparts are light yellow in color.

Do female cedar waxwings call?

Both male and female cedar waxwings have two calls in common: a high-pitched “BitzerA trill and rising whistle-like call, about half a second long. The high-pitched contact call is often heard during nesting and is used by females to beg for food from their mates.

Do female cedar waxwings sing?

Neither the male nor the female cedar waxwax can be classified as the most melodic songbird. Neither sex sings, but emits a sigh whistle, and a high-pitched trill that serves as a contact phone.