Panama

Few Central American birders will have missed that Cedar Waxwing is currently staging a major invasion into Central America. Groups of these charismatic birds are popping up throughout the region this January, and we expect them to be around at least until April or May.

Most migratory species have predictable occurrence patterns in the region and show up more or less at the same time from year to year. For example, early migrants that reach the region already by late July include Louisiana Waterthrush, Orchard Oriole and Purple Martin, which are soon followed by Black-and-white Warbler and Yellow-throated Warbler. Migration picks up in August, and by September, many species start arriving or passing through. By late September or early October, Blue-headed Vireos start coming back, and in October, many ducks arrive. These patterns vary little from year to year.

But Cedar Waxwings are delightfully different.

Each year some reach Central America, but every three to five years, larger irruptions occur. In Central America, these movements usually don’t fully manifest themselves until well into the northern winter, by January. This has likely to do with the fact that Cedar Waxwings breed later in the year than most passerines, timing their breeding to coincide with summer-ripening fruits, and during the post-breeding season lead nomadic lives, wandering where food is abundant. This year, that has brought them to Central America.

January 2023 sightings of Cedar Waxwing in Central America

If you want to see these highly social birds, look for them in half-open (suburban) landscapes with fruiting trees. They can blend in surprisingly well in tree crowns, and perched groups are sometimes difficult to see. Listen for their high-pitched calls or be alert to compact, ball-shaped groups of up to fifty, sometimes more, flying around. Birds in these flying groups often have a characteristic, slightly chaotic flight style with small but constantly changing differences in distance between group members.

Other facultative migrants that seem to be more common than usual in Central America this season include Yellow-rumped Warbler and Bonaparte’s Gull.