ANIMALS

Meet the Cedar Waxwing, The Remarkable Bird with a Striking Hairstyle Resembling a Real-Life Pokémon

With more than 50 billion birds across the globe, they exhibit an incredible range of colors and characteristics. However, there is one shared trait among them all—they possess an undeniable and breathtaking beauty. Today, we present to you the Cedar Waxwing, a standout charmer in the avian realm. If you’re not just an animal enthusiast but also a devoted Pokémon fan, this article is a must-read as you’ll have the chance to encounter a real-life and awe-inspiring Pidgeotto.

The Cedar Waxwing, known for its wing tips resembling wax, belongs to the Bombycillidae family, also known as the waxwing family of songbirds. These beautiful birds are predominantly found in North and Central America.

Image source: Ron Knight

The Cedar Waxwing prefers habitats with trees located on the outskirts of wooded areas or forests. They particularly seek out areas that offer access to berry-rich food sources and water.

Image source: Daniel Cadieux

The Cedar Waxwing, a species known for its aerial prowess, showcases a beautiful combination of shiny and silky brown, lemon-yellow, and gray feathers. Its plumage is further adorned with accents of black and red. This charming bird boasts a sizable head, a streamlined physique, a short neck, and a stout bill.

Image source: Stuart McCannell

These birds possess distinctive narrow black masks, resembling bandits, which are bordered by white markings. Adding to their attractive features, their crests rest flat and sweep back over their heads, enhancing their overall charm.

Take a look at these pictures, you’ll see how much he resembles a real-life Pidgeotto.

Image source: David Alexander

During the arrival of autumn, Cedar Waxwings take to the skies in large groups, numbering in the hundreds, in search of their beloved fruits and berries. At times, they exhibit a remarkable skill by snatching berries directly from the air while momentarily hovering above them. Throughout this season, the air becomes filled with their distinct high-pitched and melodious whistle calls.

Image source: Bill Bunn

Image source: Bill Bunn

Image source: Minder Cheng

This species is occasionally identified as the culprit responsible for causing damage to fruit farms of commercial importance.

During the summer season, you can observe Cedar Waxwings gracefully soaring above rivers, where they locate insects to satisfy their appetite. It is also the ideal time for breeding. Male birds often engage in a charming “hopping dance” to court females, and if the females reciprocate the interest, they will hop together in a delightful display of courtship.

Image source: mjeedelbr

Typically, the female Cedar Waxwing diligently sits on a nest containing 5 or 6 eggs for a period of 11 to 13 days after mating. The eggs themselves are oval-shaped, possessing a smooth exterior, and are carefully placed within a cup-shaped nest constructed from grass and twigs.

Image source: Jeff Tome

The Cedar Waxwing nest is typically situated at an elevation of 6.6–19.7 ft above the ground, and it is lined with cozy and gentle materials. An intriguing detail is that female birds occasionally pilfer materials from nests belonging to other species to embellish and fortify their own nests.

Image source: Michele Sersch

Both mother and father birds share the responsibility of caring for their young until they reach an age of around 14 to 18 days, at which point they become independent enough to venture out of the nest.

Image source: David Alexander

ANIMALS

Amazing Video of Unseen Ocean Creatures in the Ningaloo Canyons

The Schmidt Ocean Institute recently explored the Ningaloo Canyons on the western coast of Australia using a robotic underwater vehicle called the ROV Sebastian. Check out the amazing video of what they discovered in the deep parts of the Indian Ocean.

More info: Youtube

ANIMALS

These Pics Are Art and the Artists Are Insects

Flying insects move so quickly that they are hard to follow, but new technology and some smart ideas have helped Spanish photographer Xavi Bou do just that. After spending 10 years focusing on birds in flight for his Ornithographies project, he turned his attention to insects.

For Entomographies, he uses high-speed video footage taken by Adrian Smith, an insect expert at North Carolina State University, to study and record how insects move. Bou then picks multiple frames and combines them into single images that show the fast movements of one or more insects through space and time.

With Smith’s help, Bou has captured the aerial tricks of wasps, the jumps of leafhoppers, and the fluttering of butterflies in amazing detail. He hopes that by doing this, he can make people more aware of the decline in important insect populations around the world.

1. Zebra longwing

This butterfly, which is common in many areas of the Americas, really fits its name. It can fly very high with just a few flaps of its large wings.