You're standing in your backyard when you hear it. A thin, lisping whistle that seems to come from everywhere and nowhere at once. It isn't a song—not in the way a Robin or a Cardinal sings. It’s more like a leak in a pressurized steam pipe. If you’ve ever wondered about that ghostly, high-frequency sound, you’ve likely stumbled upon the call of the cedar waxwing. Most birds have a complex repertoire of melodies, but waxwings are weird. They don't have a true song. They just have this one piercing, vibrato-heavy trill that they use for basically everything.
It's honestly a bit of an evolutionary mystery why a bird as visually stunning as the Cedar Waxwing—with those silk-smooth brown feathers and the "dipped in red wax" wing tips—would have such a primitive vocalization. But don't let the simplicity fool you. To a birder, that sound is a signal that a nomadic flock is about to descend on your berry bushes.
Why the Call of the Cedar Waxwing Sounds So Different
If you look at the anatomy of most songbirds, they have a highly developed syrinx. This allows them to produce two notes at once or complex, fluting melodies. Cedar Waxwings? Not so much. Their vocal apparatus is relatively simple. This results in two primary sounds: the high-pitched trill and a slightly lower, buzzy "breeee" sound.
The frequency is the kicker. Most call of the cedar waxwing recordings show the sound sits between 6 and 9 kHz. That is very high. For some older birders, the waxwing is actually one of the first birds they stop hearing as age-related hearing loss kicks in. It’s a thin, sibilant sound. Think of the letter "Z" being whispered very sharply.
Social Signaling Without the Music
Because these birds are incredibly social, they don't use their voices to defend territories. Most birds sing to say "This is my tree, get out." Waxwings don't care about that. They travel in massive, nomadic groups, often alongside American Robins or Yellow-rumped Warblers. Their calls are "contact calls." They are basically just saying "I'm here, are you there?" over and over again to keep the flock together while they fly.
When a flock takes flight, the intensity of the whistling increases. It's a localized wall of sound. You’ll hear a dozen birds all hitting that high "zeee" note simultaneously. It’s effective. It keeps them from getting lost while they hunt for sugar.
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The Seasonal Shift in Vocalization
While the call of the cedar waxwing stays somewhat consistent, the reason they make it changes. In the winter, it’s all about the food. These birds are some of the only specialized frugivores in North America. They can survive almost entirely on fruit for months. If you hear that whistle in January, they’ve found a crabapple tree or a cedar bush with berries.
By late spring and summer, the tone shifts slightly during courtship. You might see two waxwings sitting on a branch, passing a berry back and forth. It’s a famous behavior. They hop toward each other, one gives the berry to the other, the second bird hops away, then hops back and returns the berry. Throughout this "fruit-passing" ritual, they emit low, hushed versions of their trill. It’s almost like they’re whispering.
Identifying the Juvenile "Bree"
If you're out in August and you hear something that sounds like a Cedar Waxwing but it's a bit raspier, you're likely hearing a fledgling. Young waxwings have a much more persistent, begging call. It lacks the crystalline clarity of the adult's whistle. It’s a buzzy, insistent "breeee" that tells the parents, "I'm hungry, and I haven't figured out how to pluck my own berries yet."
The Science of Pitch: Why So High?
There is some debate among ornithologists, like those at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, about why the pitch is so high. One theory suggests that high-frequency calls are harder for certain hawks to triangulate. If you’re a waxwing sitting in an open berry bush, you’re a target. By using a call that is difficult to locate in space, you can communicate with your flock without pin-pointing your exact location for a Cooper's Hawk.
It’s a trade-off. High-frequency sounds don't travel as far through dense forest—they get absorbed by leaves. But since waxwings love open woodlands and edge habitats, this isn't a huge problem for them.
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Distinguishing Waxwings from Other Birds
People often confuse the call of the cedar waxwing with the Brown Creeper or the Golden-crowned Kinglet. Here is how to tell the difference:
- Brown Creeper: Their call is even thinner and usually has a distinct downward slide at the end. It feels more "delicate."
- Golden-crowned Kinglet: They usually give a series of three high notes in a row: tsee-tsee-tsee. It’s rhythmic.
- Cedar Waxwing: A continuous, wavering trill. It doesn't have a beginning or an end; it just exists for a second and then vanishes.
Honestly, the best way to learn it is to look for the behavior. If you see a bird that looks like it's wearing a black mask and it's hovering awkwardly in front of a berry cluster, and you hear that whistle—that's your bird.
Real-World Impact: The "Drunken" Call
Sometimes, the call of the cedar waxwing gets weird. Because they eat so much fruit, they occasionally consume berries that have fermented on the vine. Yes, waxwings get drunk. In these instances, their coordination fails, and their calls can become slurred or irregular. While it sounds funny, it’s actually a major issue for bird rehabbers who have to treat flocks for alcohol poisoning after a warm spell in late winter causes berries to ferment rapidly.
Where to Listen
You can find them anywhere there is fruit. Check ornamental plantings in suburban parking lots, orchards, or cedar glades. They love Mulberries in the summer and Juniper berries (the "cedar" in their name) in the winter.
The sound is often the only way you’ll find them. Their plumage, while beautiful, blends in remarkably well with the shadows of a leafy tree. Listen for the "sizzle." That’s what I call it. It sounds like a tiny drop of water hitting a hot frying pan, stretched out over a second.
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Actionable Tips for Birders
If you want to master the identification of this bird and see them more often, follow these steps:
1. Train your ear for the high stuff. Use an app like Merlin Bird ID to specifically listen to the "High Frequency" version of their call. If you can’t hear it, you might need to look into a directional microphone or simply focus on the visual movement in berry trees.
2. Plant for them. If you want to hear the call of the cedar waxwing in your own yard, plant Serviceberry (Amelanchier) or Native Honeysuckle. Avoid the invasive types of honeysuckle; they don't provide the same nutritional value, and some studies suggest the pigment in invasive berries can actually turn the yellow tips of a waxwing's tail orange—a weird phenomenon caused by a chemical called rhodoxanthin.
3. Watch the silhouettes. Waxwings have a very distinct crest. Even if the sun is behind them and you can't see the colors, that "mohawk" shape combined with the high-pitched whistle is a 100% positive ID.
4. Check the water. Waxwings are heavy drinkers because of their high-sugar diet. A birdbath with moving water (a dripper) is a magnet for them. You’ll hear the flock whistling from the canopy before they all drop down together for a drink.
Understanding the call of the cedar waxwing is like unlocking a secret layer of the backyard. Once you recognize that high-pitched hiss, you’ll realize these birds have been around you all along. They weren't hiding; they were just speaking on a frequency you hadn't tuned into yet. Look for the masks, listen for the whistles, and keep your berries ready.
Next Steps for Enthusiasts:
Identify a local fruit-bearing tree in your neighborhood and spend fifteen minutes there with your eyes closed. Ignore the robins and the crows. Listen specifically for a high-frequency, sibilant whistle that sounds like static. Once you lock onto it, open your eyes and scan the topmost branches for the distinctive crest of the waxwing. This sensory isolation is the fastest way to bridge the gap between "hearing" and "identifying" in the field.