Bohemian Waxwing

How to recognise it

• Reddish-grey with a long crest, black throat and a black band through each eye
• The size of a Starling but looks bigger, with a compact body and large head
• Bright yellow tail band with a broad black band above, sealing-wax red tips on the secondaries
• The female has a narrower yellow tail band and a less sharply defined black throat

Call and song

The call is a high trill, "sirrrr", which can sound like a jingling bunch of keys. It is often heard from flocks flying over and is described as a tinkling of silver bells. When a flock takes off or lands, the wings make a rattling sound that can be heard 30 metres away.

Where and when

It breeds in older conifer forest, mainly in the north of Norrland and also along the coasts of Norrbotten and Västerbotten. Outside the breeding season it can be seen along roads, in parks and gardens, and along hedges and woodland edges. It is reported most in November and December and rarely from April to September. Its share of all bird reports is highest in Västerbotten, Norrbotten and Västernorrland.

Food and behaviour

In the breeding season it eats insects, mainly caught by flying out from an open perch. In winter it eats mostly berries and fruit, with rowan berries a favourite. In winter it roams in large flocks and moves south when berries are scarce in the breeding area. It can then be very tame and comes into towns and gardens for food.