Cedar Waxwing

Cedar Waxwing

Bombycilla cedrorum

Silhouette: Andy Wilson · PhyloPic

LCLeast ConcernNTVUENCR
Daily sighting probability ~10% · With luck
at Guatemala City

In 3 days ~20% in a week ~40%

380 Verified sightings at Guatemala City
21,485 In all 56 parks From 2019 to 2026
March Best month
☀️ Diurnal When it's spotted

About the Cedar Waxwing

The cedar waxwing (Bombycilla cedrorum) is a member of the family Bombycillidae or waxwing family of passerine birds. It is a medium-sized bird that is mainly brown, gray, and yellow. Some of the wing feathers have red tips, which resemble sealing wax, giving the bird its common name. It is a native of North and Central America, breeding in open wooded areas in southern Canada and wintering in the southern half of the United States, Central America, and the far northwest of South America. Its diet includes cedar cones, fruit, holly berries, and insects. The cedar waxwing is listed as least concern on the IUCN Red List.

The three species of waxwings were moved to their own genus, Bombycilla, by Louis Pierre Vieillot in 1808. Bombycilla is Vieillot's attempt at Latin for "silktail", translating the German name Seidenschwänze. Vieillot thought that motacilla, Latin for wagtails, was derived from mota for "move" and cilla, which he thought meant "tail"; however, Motacilla actually combines motacis, a mover, with the diminutive suffix -illa. He then combined this "cilla" with the Latin bombyx, meaning silk. The specific epithet cedrorum is Latin for "of the cedars".

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Sounds

Begging call0:21

United States · 2026

© Greg Irving · XC1177761 · CC BY-NC-SA 4.0

Call0:19

United States · 2026

© Rory Nefdt · XC1142128 · CC BY-NC-SA 4.0

Uncertain0:55

United States · 2020

© Brian Hendrix · XC610058 · CC BY-NC-SA 4.0

Global Distribution

Parks Where Found

# Park Country Daily sighting probability
1 Glacier National Park 🇺🇸 United States
~50%
2 Elk Island National Park 🇨🇦 Canada
~40%
3 Isle Royale National Park 🇺🇸 United States
~40%
4 Riding Mountain National Park 🇨🇦 Canada
~40%
5 Point Pelee National Park 🇨🇦 Canada
~40%
6 Cape Breton Highlands National Park 🇨🇦 Canada
~30%
7 Shenandoah National Park 🇺🇸 United States
~30%
8 Voyageurs National Park 🇺🇸 United States
~30%
9 Acadia National Park 🇺🇸 United States
~20%
10 Jasper National Park 🇨🇦 Canada
~20%
11 Grand Teton National Park 🇺🇸 United States
~20%
12 Great Smoky Mountains National Park 🇺🇸 United States
~20%
13 Death Valley National Park 🇺🇸 United States
~20%
14 Banff National Park 🇨🇦 Canada
~20%
15 Pacific Rim National Park Reserve 🇨🇦 Canada
~20%
16 Olympic National Park 🇺🇸 United States
~20%
17 Redwood National Park 🇺🇸 United States
~10%
18 Great Bear Rainforest 🇨🇦 Canada
~10%
19 Gros Morne National Park 🇨🇦 Canada
~10%
20 Wood Buffalo National Park 🇨🇦 Canada
~10%
21 Cumbres de Monterrey National Park 🇲🇽 Mexico
~10%
22 Congaree National Park 🇺🇸 United States
~10%
23 Guadalupe Mountains National Park 🇺🇸 United States
~10%
24 Badlands National Park 🇺🇸 United States
~10%
25 Rocky Mountain National Park 🇺🇸 United States
~10%
26 El Vizcaíno Biosphere Reserve 🇲🇽 Mexico
~10%
27 Yellowstone National Park 🇺🇸 United States
<5%
28 Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks 🇺🇸 United States
<5%
29 Reserva de la Biosfera Mariposa Monarca 🇲🇽 Mexico
<5%
30 El Triunfo 🇲🇽 Mexico
<5%
31 Joshua Tree National Park 🇺🇸 United States
<5%
32 Zion National Park 🇺🇸 United States
<5%
33 Big Bend National Park 🇺🇸 United States
<5%
34 Biotopo Cerro Cahuí 🇬🇹 Guatemala
<5%
35 Cañón del Sumidero National Park 🇲🇽 Mexico
<5%
36 Bahía de Loreto National Park 🇲🇽 Mexico
<5%
37 Channel Islands National Park 🇺🇸 United States
<5%
38 Everglades National Park 🇺🇸 United States
<5%
39 Grand Canyon National Park 🇺🇸 United States
<5%
40 Saguaro National Park 🇺🇸 United States
<5%
41 Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge 🇺🇸 United States
<5%
42 Big Cypress National Preserve 🇺🇸 United States
<5%
43 Arrecifes de Cozumel National Park 🇲🇽 Mexico
<5%
44 Celestún Biosphere Reserve 🇲🇽 Mexico
<5%
45 Cerro Azul Meámbar National Park 🇭🇳 Honduras
<5%
46 Kluane National Park 🇨🇦 Canada
<5%
47 Yosemite National Park 🇺🇸 United States
<5%
48 Los Quetzales National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
<5%
49 Las Baulas Marine National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
<5%
50 Cusuco National Park 🇭🇳 Honduras
<5%
51 Tapantí-Macizo de la Muerte National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
<5%
52 Tikal National Park 🇬🇹 Guatemala
<5%
53 Tortuguero National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
<5%
54 Soberanía National Park 🇵🇦 Panama
<5%
55 Arenal Volcano National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
<5%
56 La Amistad International Park (Panama) 🇵🇦 Panama
<5%

Cities Where Found

# City Country Daily sighting probability
1 Sacramento 🇺🇸 United States
~30%
2 Austin 🇺🇸 United States
~30%
3 Dallas 🇺🇸 United States
~20%
4 Portland 🇺🇸 United States
~20%
5 Calgary 🇨🇦 Canada
~20%
6 Montreal 🇨🇦 Canada
~20%
7 Salt Lake City 🇺🇸 United States
~20%
8 Houston 🇺🇸 United States
~20%
9 Tijuana 🇲🇽 México
~20%
10 Edmonton 🇨🇦 Canada
~20%

Zoos & Centres Where Found

# Zoo / Centre Country
1 National Zoological Park 🇺🇸 United States In captivity
2 Columbus Zoo and Aquarium 🇺🇸 United States In captivity
3 Xcaret 🇲🇽 Mexico In captivity
4 Selwo Marina 🇪🇸 Spain In captivity
5 Wildlife Center of Virginia 🇺🇸 United States In captivity

Before you go

What are the chances of seeing a Cedar Waxwing in Guatemala City?

With luck

About 10% of wildlife watchers report a Cedar Waxwing sighting in Guatemala City on a given day, based on 380 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 72nd most-seen of the 220 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 20%, and over a week to about 40%, if each day is a fresh chance.

When is the best time to see a Cedar Waxwing in Guatemala City?

February to April

In those months about 20% of wildlife watchers report a Cedar Waxwing in Guatemala City on a given day, against under 5% in June to January, the lowest months. Those are among Guatemala City's driest months, with about 20 mm of rain a month against 240 mm in September.

What time of day is best to see a Cedar Waxwing?

Between 8 and 11 am

Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Cedar Waxwing sightings with a recorded time, and about 9 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.

Is Guatemala City the best place to see a Cedar Waxwing?

31st of 42

Of the 42 cities where we can rate Cedar Waxwing sightings, Guatemala City ranks 31st at about 10%. The best odds are in Sacramento (United States, about 30%), Austin (United States, about 30%) and Dallas (United States, about 20%).

Which relatives of the Cedar Waxwing live in Guatemala City?

Same order: Passeriformes

The closest relatives of the Cedar Waxwing that you can see in Guatemala City (order Passeriformes, Perching Birds) are Great-tailed Grackle (about 90%), Clay-colored Thrush (about 80%) and Social Flycatcher (about 60%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.

Where does the Cedar Waxwing sighting chance come from?

GBIF citizen-science records

It is estimated from how often the Cedar Waxwing is recorded against all the birds logged in Guatemala City (380 verified sightings), calibrated against known sighting rates. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10% because citizen-science data supports honest approximations, not decimals, and months with records from fewer than five people show "—". How it works.

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