Waxwing
Small numbers of Waxwings are generally seen every winter in the UK, but some years there will be thousands of these colourful birds arriving from Scandinavia. These invasion years are determined by the amount of Rowan berries there are available at their breeding grounds. One year the Rowan berries will be plentiful and the Waxwing survival rate is very high, but the Rowan tree's cannot produce a bumper crop two years in a row, so the Waxwings have to look further afield to survive. This is when they arrive in the UK in large numbers. As well as having very colourful wings, the Waxwings face has a painted quality to it. They have a crest which can be held almost vertically on their heads. The Waxwing is often seen in very public, busy places and doesn't appear to be too concerned about human presence.
Return to: British Birds or Gallery
Return to: British Birds or Gallery
