Patterns from eBird – Cedar Waxwing

Figure 1 illustrates patterns of Cedar Waxwing occurrence across the entire year, and showcases the migration patterns of waxwings in three different states. Cedar Waxwing overwinters in Florida (green), departing from mid-April through early May. While Cedar Waxwings in Maryland (red) occur year-round, a massive spike in reports in mid-May clearly represents northbound migrants passing through the state. Massachusetts (blue) also supports some waxwings year-round, but shows a massive influx of birds in May. Waxwings are frequently reported throughout the summer in Massachusetts, where it is a common breeder. The majority of waxwings leave Massachusetts during September. Interestingly, Maryland does not see a pronounced fall peak and arrival in Florida is quite late, with numbers first appearing in early December.

Figure 1. This graph was made using the eBird “View and Explore Data” tools, and shows the frequency of Cedar Waxwing on checklists submitted in Florida (green), Maryland (red) and Massachusetts (blue). Data are summarized across all years. [Note: this graph uses data from eBird’s View and Explore page, but displaying each state on the same graph required Excel—we don’t (yet) have this option in eBird]

It is only because of the work of eBird's extensive network of contributors that the ebb and flow of bird populations can be visualized, and this kind of information is invaluable to research in the patterns of species' occurrence across broad spatial and temporal scales. By entering your data into eBird, you’re helping scientists unravel long-standing mysteries about bird migration, and helping us learn more about enigmatic species like the Cedar Waxwing!