Recently I’ve been posting a few photos documenting bird behaviors I don’t understand. Earlier this week it happened again, this time with Cedar Waxwings.
Three days ago I spotted this pair of Cedar Waxwings on the other side of a mountain stream and too far from me for for frame-filling photos. In situations like this I often watch the birds through my lens for interesting behaviors and take a few documentary photos. These are photos of that type.
In Cedar Waxwings sexes are so much alike most birders don’t even attempt to sex them in the field. But the knowledgeable observer can sometimes tell male from female because males have a more extensive and darker, black chin-patch and during the breeding season females are slightly heavier than males.
Based on behavior I believe these two waxwings are a mated pair and based on the criteria just mentioned I also believe the male is the bird at top and slightly behind the female below him. I have no idea why the presumed male was looking straight up but he seemed fascinated by something up there. I didn’t have enough depth of field to get both birds sharp so the female is soft.
This photo and the two below are sequential with no skips. I’m only including this one to show what the waxwings were doing just prior to a very interesting behavior.
Without any clue to suggest what was about to happen the female took off toward her mate and enveloped him with her wings while she was in flight. Based on his posture he didn’t react in the slightest. He didn’t seem surprised or threatened – it was almost like it was normal, expected behavior.
She didn’t hover there. She was only there for a single wingbeat and then…
she was gone. The male remained in his previous posture.
Lets take a closer, much closer, look at what was going on for that millisecond while she was enveloping him with her wings.
He appeared to remain aloof and even uninterested in what she was doing but I suspect that’s making unwarranted assumptions.
An even larger crop of the same image allows us to more clearly see that she briefly wrapped one of her toes around his upper foot and touched his rump and/or wingtip with her other foot. That appeared to be the only physical contact they made before she veered off to the right.
To say that I’m fascinated by little snippets of mysterious behavior like this is an understatement. That toe-wrapping and physical contact had to mean something but what could it be?
Was it one of the many behaviors that cement the bond between mated birds? Was it a friendly gesture of endearment or devotion, something like one human patting the butt of their significant other as they walk by? Or was it something else? Maybe I’m wrong and these birds weren’t a mated pair. In that case it could have been something like intimidation or even a failed attempt at displacement.
Even when I don’t understand them I love witnessing behaviors like this and it’s a huge bonus when I’m able to document them with photos. Then down the road I can ponder the meaning of it all.
Ron
How utterly fascinating (and what great pictures!). In all my years of seeing Cedar Waxwings I have never witnessed this behaviour. I am not even bolod enough to attempt to sex them in the field!
Thank you, David. Normally I don’t attempt to sex them either.
That is so cool!
Thanks, Kent.
In the first shot the male is pointing his beak straight up. Usually when a bird wants to look up they turn their head to the side giving them an unobstructed view of whatever is above them. Is it possible the beak straight up is a pose in some sort of body language communication and that it provoked the “hug”. Looks like posing I have seen in sea birds like gulls. Fun to look at but I suppose only the Waxwings know what was really going on. Great “stuff”!
Porcupine, as far as motivation goes I wouldn’t rule out much of anything, including the possibility you mentioned. The presumed male held that ‘looking up pose’ for long enough that it could have had some behavioral significance. I just don’t know…
Fascinating behavior and something I’ve not seen before. Did the toe grabbing look intentional? From that single photo, and not seeing the action, it’s hard to know if it was intentional or simply an accident when reaching toward the branch. These birds are certainly not immature birds, they are in adult plumage, but I think they may be only first-year as I see no red on feather tips in the wing. But I don’t think age has anything to do with this behavior. Waxwings almost never show signs of aggression toward others so it would be unusual if that is what is happening. It may remain a mystery unless you can see it happen again and gain more insight into what is happening.
Dan, there’s no question in my mind that it was intentional. She made no attempt to land or even reach for the branch.
That’s really interesting. They are highly social and have been called “The Polite Bird” because they can often be seen passing a berry from one bird to the next as they sit next to each other in a line along a branch. That I’ve seen, but this kind of social contact is new to me.
It is very bloody early here. (Thanks cat). I have a mystery to ponder as I go back to bed in a probably vain attempt at more sleep.
It does look incredibly intimate, and that and wing hug melted my anthromorphic heart.
“that wing hug melted my anthropomorphic heart”
I’m in the same boat, EC.
That’s one of the many reasons I don’t have a cat! 🙂
Waxies are such gorgeous birds! And this sequence is so interesting—you might think it was an accidental contact except it does look purposeful, for her if not for him! I think Marty has it right, she’s saying “I’ll be out for awhile, dear” and he’s too caught up in the All-Star game to respond.
Well, this is an interesting development…where is that + sign in my name coming from? Pretty sure I didn’t do it (and I see it in a few others’ posts, as well). 🤔
I noticed it too, Chris. I dunno where it’s coming from. Just WordPress in wacko mode I guess.
I’m deleting it from the ID entry below, maybe it will go away permanently. I did notice also my comments needed “moderation.” I’m such a scamp, you know! 😂
Looks like it worked, for now at least.
That’s another thing WordPress does occasionally – demand that a comment be moderated, even from a veteran commenter. The way I have things set up it isn’t supposed to do that.
I’m sure what she did was purposeful, Chris. I have no doubt.
BotW should have a special section in each species account called “Unusual behaviors observed by Ron Dudley”.
It seems odd that Sibley has no mention of the red-tipped secondaries.
Speaking of which, as they are not apparent on these two, is it possible that they are immature birds (perhaps siblings) and the behavior is somehow related to that?
Lyle, I know from experience that BotW isn’t much interested in my observations. So be it.
See Dan’s comment above for an answer to your question about the age of these waxwings.
Another excellent educational series by our Feathered Photographer. We get small flocks of the Waxwings – sometimes as many as 30 or more – visiting our neighborhoods about once a year. I love watching them and have taken many photos, but never really thought about male female ID so appreciate this information. So Dick is another biologist and uses words like anthropomorphizing that I had to look up. I was a dud in 9th grade biology so probably missed my teacher tossing around words like that.
Thanks again Ron for much more than beautiful photography.
Everett, I was a “dud” in 9th grade biology too but given my last name I’m always a Dud… 🙂
I’m sorry, and even though I’m a biologists, I can’t look at these shots without anthropomorphizing. I’m just getting too old for this stuff!! VBG!
Dick, in many cases I have no problem with what is sometimes called anthropomorphizing (as long as it isn’t taken too far). I’ve become much more flexible in that department in recent years, for reasons too complicated to explain here.
Agree with Marty – a quick bird hug and touching feet is so intimate!! How you captured this moment is amazing!! Thx Ron 🙂
Thank you, Kathleen.
You do manage to be in the right place at the right time — and have the skills to do something about it! 🙂
I say she’s giving him a quick hug on her way off the branch. And he’s busy watching the game. 😉
Marty, I love your last two sentences!
Admittedly, we cannot think like a bird. However your speculations certainly drew me into the scene. Our local Bald Eagles often greet each other with bills up. Sometimes they nibble on each others’ bills. I assume it is part of a recognition or pair bonding ritual, but who really can say?
Kenneth, I think pondering it all is part of the fun of it.
That IS interesting. 🙂 Male appears to almost be “frozen” in his pose – oblivious to what’s going on around him. Always something…. 😉
I’m glad you think so, Judy. Thanks.
What a lot of excitment and fun and even more long lasting pleasure and interest in these fascinating tidbits you unearth with your camera!
I’d bet that most of of us could only work from the known to the unknown so beginning with a bit of anthropomorphizing shouldn’t be all bad so long as it doesn’t end there.
I’m just grateful I can tag along for the ride.
Thanks, Pat. I’m glad you enjoyed the ride.