waxwing

[ waks-wing ]

Phonetic (Standard)IPA

noun

any of several songbirds of the family Bombycillidae, having a showy crest and certain feathers tipped with a red, waxy material, as Bombycilla garrulus Bohemian waxwing, of the Northern Hemisphere.

waxwing

/ ˈwæksˌwɪŋ /

any of several gregarious passerine songbirds of the genus Bombycilla, esp B. garrulus, having red waxy wing tips and crested heads: family Bombycillidae

Origin of waxwing¹

First recorded in 1810–20; wax ¹ + wing

The Bohemian waxwing, like the only other member of the family that ever visits us, the cedar-bird, is a roving gipsy.

Taken in this sense, the Bohemian or Wandering Waxwing, as it used to be called, is a name open to no exception.

The cedar waxwing is a strange bird, with a very pronounced species-individuality, totally unlike any other bird of our country.

Cherry-bird is another name which is appropriately applied to the cedar waxwing.

Surely no bird has less right to be associated with evil than this mild waxwing.

April 25, 2024firkin

[fur-kin ]

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