Bohemian Waxwing
Bombycilla garrulus
- KingdomAnimalia (Animals)
- PhylumChordata (Cordats)
- ClassAves (Aus)
- OrderPasseriformes
- FamilyBombycillidae (Waxwings)
- GenusBombycilla (Waxwings)
- SpeciesBombycilla garrulus (Bohemian Waxwing)
The Bohemian waxwing (Bombycilla garrulus) is a starling-sized passerine bird that breeds in the northern forests of the Palearctic and North America. It has mainly buff-grey plumage, black face markings and a pointed crest. Its wings are patterned with white and bright yellow, and some of the wing feathers have red tips, the resemblance of which to sealing wax gives these birds their common name. The two or three subspecies show only minor differences in appearance. Females are similar to males, although young birds are less well-marked and have few or no waxy wingtips. Although the Bohemian waxwing's range overlaps those of the cedar and Japanese waxwings, it is easily distinguished from them by size and plumage differences. Wikipedia →
<5% of wildlife watchers report a Bohemian Waxwing sighting in Cairngorms National Park, based on 20 days of visitor records from GBIF citizen-science data.
Closest Relatives at Cairngorms National Park
Chaffinch
Fringilla coelebs
European Robin
Erithacus rubecula
Coal Tit
Periparus ater
Blue Tit
Cyanistes caeruleus
Great Tit
Parus major
Eurasian Siskin
Spinus spinus
Eurasian Wren
Troglodytes troglodytes
Eurasian Blackbird
Turdus merula
Willow Warbler
Phylloscopus trochilus
Carrion Crow
Corvus corone
Goldcrest
Regulus regulus
Meadow Pipit
Anthus pratensis
📅 Monthly Probability
☀️ When They're Spotted
Most active during daytime hours (6am–6pm) · across all parks (global)
Global Distribution
Where this species is recorded worldwide. Restricted to human observations from 2019 onwards — the same kind of record and the same period the probabilities on this page are built from, so collar-tracking studies, camera-trap arrays and museum specimens are excluded. Around Santa Rosa that removes 5,924 GPS fixes from a handful of tagged jaguars.
where this species is recorded (GBIF density — it tracks where observers go, not how likely a sighting is) · parks where it occurs — tap a pin for the sighting probability there
Parks Where Found
Quick answers
What are the chances of seeing a Bohemian Waxwing in Cairngorms National Park?
About 1% of wildlife watchers report a Bohemian Waxwing sighting in Cairngorms National Park, based on 20 days of visitor records from GBIF citizen-science data.
When is the best time to see Bohemian Waxwing in Cairngorms National Park?
January has the highest sighting rate for Bohemian Waxwing in Cairngorms National Park in our monthly data.