I just read that Cedar Waxwings eat the red berries from two invasive shrubs--Morrow’s Honeysuckle and Tartanian Honeysuckle--develop orange or reddish tail tips. Apparently this is becoming more common in the northeast US but the USDA Plant Profile shows that Tartanian honeysuckle is found in Colo, so I wonder if we get Cedar Waxwings with orange tail tips? I don't recall seeing any (did I pay enough attention?). It is noted that adults usually don't have orange tail tips as don’t molt and grow their feathers until late summer or early fall when the berries are mostly gone, so not many adults have orange tail tips."
The Cedar Waxwings I photographed recently in Canon City were eating juniper berries and had yellow tail tips--apparently juniper berries don't have the fat soluble carotenoids that birds assimilate. Too bad since this might result in purplish tail tips that would be a most interesting feather color. It is noted that this phenomena happens with other birds including White-throated Sparrows that can get orange instead of yellow lores and young Veeries that get red tinted flanks. This information came from the Audubon Guides blog. Read the full post at http://audubonguides.wordpress.com/2009/11/19/you-are-what-you-eat-honeysuckle-colors-birds/ (I don't have any financial relationship with Audubon Guides). So, does anyone know if this phenomena occurs in birds we see in Colorado? SeEtta Moss Canon City http://BirdsAndNature.blogspot.com -- Colorado Field Ornithologists: http://www.cfo-link.org/ Colorado County Birding: http://www.coloradocountybirding.com/ You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Colorado Birds" group. To post to this group, send email to [email protected] To unsubscribe from this group, send email to [email protected] For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.as/group/cobirds?hl=en
