Japanese Waxwing
Bombycilla japonica
The Japanese Waxwing (Bombycilla japonica) is a rare waxwing found in 8 countries, weighing about 42 g. The Japanese waxwing is a fairly small passerine bird in the waxwing family found in the eastern Palaearctic, where it breeds south of the breeding range of the related Bohemian waxwing, but overlaps extensively with it in winter.
About the Japanese Waxwing
The Japanese waxwing is a fairly small passerine bird in the waxwing family found in the eastern Palaearctic, where it breeds south of the breeding range of the related Bohemian waxwing, but overlaps extensively with it in winter. It feeds mainly on fruit and berries but also eats insects during the summer. The nest is a cup of twigs lined with grass and moss which is built in a tree. In males, the secondary wing feathers have red tips, the resemblance of which to sealing wax gives these birds their common name. It is listed by IUCN as Near Threatened, due to loss and degradation of its preferred forest habitat.
Text adapted from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
How to identify it
The Japanese waxwing is 15–18 cm in length with a weight of 54–64 g, and its plumage is mostly pinkish-brown. It has a pointed crest, a black throat, a black stripe through the eye, a pale yellow centre to the belly, a grey rump, rusty-red undertail coverts, and a dark grey tail with a black-bordered red tip. The wings have a pattern of black, grey and white with a diffuse reddish-brown bar across the greater covert feathers. Its call is a high-pitched trill but there is no true song.
Where it lives
Recorded as a rare visitor in Mongolia.
When to see it
Best months: January, February, March, April, May, November, December, with peak activity in March. It is a variable species across most of its range.
Easily confused with
Quick questions
- How do you identify a Japanese Waxwing?
- The Japanese waxwing is 15–18 cm in length with a weight of 54–64 g, and its plumage is mostly pinkish-brown. Full identification notes are on this page.
- How big is a Japanese Waxwing?
- The Japanese Waxwing is a small sized bird weighing about 42 g.
- Where can you see a Japanese Waxwing?
- The Japanese Waxwing occurs in 8 countries, including China, Japan, Taiwan, South Korea and Hong Kong SAR China.
- What birds look similar to a Japanese Waxwing?
- The Japanese Waxwing is most easily confused with the Bohemian Waxwing and the Cedar Waxwing.
- Is the Japanese Waxwing endangered?
- The Japanese Waxwing is listed as Near Threatened on the IUCN Red List.
Learn the Japanese Waxwing for real
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