Birds of the Upper Cumberland Region: Species Accounts

Cedar Waxwing (Bombycilla cedrorum)

Cedar Waxwing [lateral view of adult]. Photograph Credit: David L. Roemer; Barren County, Kentucky; 11 December 2012.

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Abundance: Variable during fall, winter, and spring; Uncommon during summer; recorded in all Regional counties (Map of UCR Distribution); because of this species' variability in abundance, data from the Regional bird-monitoring efforts are inadequate to determine the status of the population wintering in the Region, but these data indicate that the breeding population has undergone long-term increase in numbers since the late 1980s (see also Regional Bird-Monitoring Plan).

Status: Permanent Resident; the wintering population is especially variable from year to year, its abundance being strongly correlated with the varying availability of soft mast; photograph [lateral view of adult gathering nest material] (Judy C. Fuson; Student's Home Rd., DeKalb County, Tennessee; 29 May 2008).

Regional High Count: and CBC/CBB High Count: 821 (3 January 2009; Warren County, Tennessee [CBC]; m. ob.); SBC/SBB High Count: 357 (9 May 2009; Putnam County, Tennessee [SBC]; m. ob.); FBC/FBB High Count: 268 (4 October 2008; White County, Tennessee [FBC]; m. ob.).

Breeding: Confirmed (Recent).

Habitat: x

YardWatch Results 2003 and 2004: Registered on 43 (of 125) monthly check-lists during 2003 and on 44 (of 206) check-lists during 2004, resulting in YardWatch frequency classifications of Fairly Common and Uncommon, respectively; these YardWatch frequency classifications are consistent with the species' known variability from year to year during fall, winter, and spring.

Foray Results: A summary of data from UCR Forays follows (to view a map displaying foray data for a county or a sub-Region for this species, click on the name of an underlined county or state below):

* Because some foray blocks fall into two or three counties, the total of blocks in the Kentucky or Tennessee portions of the Region is less than the sum of the blocks in the counties of each portion of the Region; similarly, because some blocks fall into both states, the total of blocks for the Region is less than the sum of the blocks in the two states.

Remarks: x

Check-lists of Birds for the Counties of the UCR

Check-lists of the birds of each county of the Upper Cumberland Region may be viewed by clicking on the links below. For each county, there are two check-lists: one list that shows the species that have been observed and where possible documented in the county within the larger list for the entire Region; and one list that includes only the species observed in the county with annotations for the date and observers for at least one sighting (the ultimate goal of the latter list will be to include annotations for the very first known Regional observation of each species in that county; this goal is probably one that will take many years to complete, if completion is even a possibility). To see if the species discussed in this species account has been observed in a county, click below or click on the link for the Map of UCR Distribution near the top of the page.

Check-lists of Birds for Some Public Access Birding Sites of the UCR

Check-lists of the birds of some public access birding sites within the Upper Cumberland Region may be viewed via the links below. To see if the species dealt with in this species account has been observed within any of these sites, click on the appropriate link below. See the pages for each county within the Gazetteer for links to additional smaller public access birding sites with check-lists in progress.

Literature Cited