Cedar Waxwing
Cedar Waxwing has surged: up 87% on the route-weighted index since 1968.
About the Cedar Waxwing
A sleek, masked songbird with waxy red wingtips, the Cedar Waxwing wanders in flocks after fruit and is one of the most frugivorous of North American birds.
- Size
- 6–7 in long, about 1.1 oz (15–18 cm, 32 g)
- Habitat
- Woodlands and forest edges, including wooded suburbs and parks.
- Diet
- Sugary fruit and berries year-round, with insects in summer.
- Range
- Recorded on 2,285 Breeding Bird Survey routes across 46 states, most concentrated in the Appalachian Mountains.
- Family
- Bombycillidae · Forest birds
- Conservation
- Least Concern
Notable Cedar Waxwing Trends
Cedar Waxwing has surged in surveyed states: up 87% on the route-weighted index since 1968.
Cedar Waxwing Population Forecast
If the recent trend holds, Cedar Waxwing is projected to rise about 36% by 2029 — from 3.1 in 2024 to a central estimate of 4.2 (95% range 3.1–5.2). A 5-year backtest shows a typical error of ±37.7%, with 0% of held-out values landing inside the 95% band.
| Year | Projected index | 95% low | 95% high |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 4.0 | 3.0 | 5.1 |
| 2026 | 4.1 | 3.0 | 5.1 |
| 2027 | 4.1 | 3.0 | 5.2 |
| 2028 | 4.1 | 3.1 | 5.2 |
| 2029 | 4.2 | 3.1 | 5.2 |
Where the Cedar Waxwing Is Detected
BBS routes recording Cedar Waxwing, sized by most recent count.
Cedar Waxwing Population Trend by State
| Alabama | +46% | 1978 | 36 |
| Alaska | +4% | 2002 | 10 |
| Arkansas | -55% | 1993 | 11 |
| California | -35% | 1970 | 45 |
| Colorado | +371% | 1993 | 32 |
| Connecticut | +237% | 1968 | 20 |
| Delaware | +96% | 1983 | 17 |
| Georgia | +87% | 1978 | 21 |
| Idaho | +68% | 1972 | 47 |
| Illinois | +633% | 1968 | 105 |
| Indiana | +452% | 1970 | 68 |
| Iowa | +644% | 1970 | 38 |
| Kansas | +338% | 1986 | 30 |
| Kentucky | +745% | 1968 | 59 |
| Maine | +57% | 1968 | 77 |
| Maryland | 20× | 1968 | 74 |
| Massachusetts | +289% | 1968 | 32 |
| Michigan | +152% | 1968 | 108 |
| Minnesota | -3% | 1969 | 89 |
| Mississippi | insufficient data | n/a | 5 |
| Missouri | +81% | 1976 | 77 |
| Montana | +560% | 1971 | 82 |
| Nebraska | +389% | 1982 | 47 |
| Nevada | insufficient data | n/a | 5 |
| New Hampshire | +43% | 1968 | 26 |
| New Jersey | 30× | 1972 | 38 |
| New Mexico | insufficient data | n/a | 4 |
| New York | +160% | 1968 | 128 |
| North Carolina | +310% | 1972 | 76 |
| North Dakota | +173% | 1969 | 46 |
| Ohio | +372% | 1968 | 88 |
| Oklahoma | insufficient data | n/a | 3 |
| Oregon | +48% | 1970 | 84 |
| Pennsylvania | +348% | 1968 | 135 |
| Rhode Island | 11× | 1973 | 6 |
| South Carolina | +39% | 1990 | 12 |
| South Dakota | +582% | 1980 | 32 |
| Tennessee | +822% | 1968 | 46 |
| Texas | insufficient data | n/a | 2 |
| Utah | +24% | 1994 | 20 |
| Vermont | +51% | 1968 | 26 |
| Virginia | +337% | 1968 | 82 |
| Washington | -39% | 1970 | 95 |
| West Virginia | +172% | 1968 | 63 |
| Wisconsin | +43% | 1968 | 98 |
| Wyoming | +134% | 1975 | 40 |
Cedar Waxwing Population Trend by Region
Bird Conservation Regions are the ecological unit for trends.
| Northern Pacific Rainforest | -12% | 1970 | 109 |
| Great Basin | +0% | 1970 | 112 |
| Northern Rockies | +491% | 1970 | 133 |
| Prairie Potholes | +196% | 1969 | 95 |
| Boreal Hardwood Transition | -4% | 1968 | 127 |
| Lower Great Lakes / St. Lawrence Plain | +201% | 1968 | 86 |
| Atlantic Northern Forest | +35% | 1968 | 155 |
| Southern Rockies / Colorado Plateau | +345% | 1986 | 50 |
| Badlands and Prairies | +395% | 1969 | 67 |
| Central Mixed Grass Prairie | +111% | 1987 | 39 |
| Eastern Tallgrass Prairie | +643% | 1968 | 258 |
| Prairie Hardwood Transition | +185% | 1968 | 161 |
| Central Hardwoods | +962% | 1968 | 137 |
| Mississippi Alluvial Valley | -31% | 1993 | 7 |
| Southeastern Coastal Plain | +96% | 1988 | 62 |
| Appalachian Mountains | +320% | 1968 | 386 |
| Piedmont | +770% | 1969 | 118 |
| New England / Mid-Atlantic Coast | +740% | 1968 | 155 |
| Coastal California | -78% | 1971 | 12 |
Cedar Waxwing Conservation Status
Least Concern
The IUCN Red List rates this species as Least Concern. Our route-weighted index shows it up about 87% since 1968.
Source: USGS North American Breeding Bird Survey, retrieved 2026-05-22. Trend is a route-weighted relative-abundance index, not an absolute population.