Okay, that’s my word for today—frugivorous.

It was used to describe Cedar Waxwings and means fruit-eating. I was doing a quick Internet search on Cedar Waxwings because we are seeing a lot of them in the Garden right now. In fact, Education Manager Phyllis Laslett emailed me Monday saying she had seen quite a flock of Cedar Waxwings stripping the hawthorn tree of berries that morning. Then yesterday Abe Baxter, our computer guru, showed me some photos he had taken—and there were some Cedar Waxwings caught in the act! (Thanks, Abe, for letting me use your image).

So what did a quick Internet search yield about Cedar Waxwings?

Well, the name “waxwing” comes from the red on the tips of the feathers on their wings—and that color can be influenced by the type of berries they are eating at the time they are growing those feathers (!) For instance, it’s been found if they eat the berries of a certain kind of honeysuckle, the color will be more orange.

Cedar Waxwings feed in flocks and if all the berries are at the end of a twig, the birds will line up on the branch and pass the berries down so all can eat.

I’d be interested if we have any birders out there who can verify if these facts are true. Whatever the case, this is an excellent time of year to be bird-watching!

Beth Monroe is public relations director at Lewis Ginter Botanical Garden.

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