Behold the wondrous cedar waxwing! This mysterious North Jersey year-round resident is occasionally seen, but almost never at feeders — and heard even less. In recent weeks, I have been fortunate to ...

Cedar waxwings are sleek, masked birds with unusual red, waxy deposits at the tips of their secondary feathers. They are cinnamon-colored, with grayish wings and tails and yellow terminal tail-bands.

Birds are the master vocalists of the animal kingdom. They can make a remarkable variety of sounds. But why is a barred owl more of a baritone, while a cedar waxwing is a soprano? And what influences ...