Cedar Waxwing
Cedar WaxwingCedar WaxwingCedar WaxwingCedar Waxwing

Cedar Waxwing

Bombycilla cedrorum

Least ConcernNear ThreatenedVulnerableEndangeredCritically Endangered
Daily sighting probability <5% · Rare
at Saguaro National Park
2,472 Verified sightings at Saguaro National Park From 2019 to 2026
36,072 Verified sightings across all 75 parks From 2019 to 2026
January Best month highest sighting rate
☀️ Diurnal When it's spotted during daytime hours (6am–6pm)

About the Cedar Waxwing

The cedar waxwing (Bombycilla cedrorum) is a member of the family Bombycillidae or waxwing family of passerine birds. It is a medium-sized bird that is mainly brown, gray, and yellow. Some of the wing feathers have red tips, which resemble sealing wax, giving the bird its common name. It is a native of North and Central America, breeding in open wooded areas in southern Canada and wintering in the southern half of the United States, Central America, and the far northwest of South America. Its diet includes cedar cones, fruit, holly berries, and insects. The cedar waxwing is listed as least concern on the IUCN Red List.

The three species of waxwings were moved to their own genus, Bombycilla, by Louis Pierre Vieillot in 1808. Bombycilla is Vieillot's attempt at Latin for "silktail", translating the German name Seidenschwänze. Vieillot thought that motacilla, Latin for wagtails, was derived from mota for "move" and cilla, which he thought meant "tail"; however, Motacilla actually combines motacis, a mover, with the diminutive suffix -illa. He then combined this "cilla" with the Latin bombyx, meaning silk. The specific epithet cedrorum is Latin for "of the cedars".

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Closest Relatives at Saguaro National Park

Verdin
LC

Verdin

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Auriparus flaviceps

Daily sighting probability ~80% · Very likely
House Finch
LC Endemic

House Finch

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Haemorhous mexicanus

Daily sighting probability ~80% · Very likely
Lesser Goldfinch
LC

Lesser Goldfinch

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Spinus psaltria

Daily sighting probability ~70% · Very likely
Abert's Towhee
LC

Abert's Towhee

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Melozone aberti

Daily sighting probability ~60% · Likely
Vermilion Flycatcher
LC

Vermilion Flycatcher

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Pyrocephalus rubinus

Daily sighting probability ~50% · Likely
Curve-billed Thrasher
LC

Curve-billed Thrasher

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Toxostoma curvirostre

Daily sighting probability ~40% · Likely
Yellow-rumped Warbler
LC

Yellow-rumped Warbler

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Setophaga coronata

Daily sighting probability ~40% · Likely
Phainopepla
LC

Phainopepla

🌅 Crepuscular Bird

Phainopepla nitens

Daily sighting probability ~40% · Likely
Cactus Wren
LC

Cactus Wren

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Campylorhynchus brunneicapillus

Daily sighting probability ~40% · Likely
White-crowned Sparrow
LC

White-crowned Sparrow

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Zonotrichia leucophrys

Daily sighting probability ~40% · Likely
Northern Cardinal
LC Endemic

Northern Cardinal

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Cardinalis cardinalis

Daily sighting probability ~40% · Likely
Northern Mockingbird
LC

Northern Mockingbird

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Mimus polyglottos

Daily sighting probability ~30% · Possible

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

# Park Country Daily sighting probability
1 Elk Island National Park 🇨🇦 Canada
~40%
2 Point Pelee National Park 🇨🇦 Canada
~40%
3 Glacier National Park 🇺🇸 United States
~30%
4 Isle Royale National Park 🇺🇸 United States
~30%
5 Riding Mountain National Park 🇨🇦 Canada
~30%
6 Cape Breton Highlands National Park 🇨🇦 Canada
~30%
7 Voyageurs National Park 🇺🇸 United States
~30%
8 Jasper National Park 🇨🇦 Canada
~20%
9 Shenandoah National Park 🇺🇸 United States
~20%
10 Acadia National Park 🇺🇸 United States
~20%
11 Grand Teton National Park 🇺🇸 United States
~20%
12 Banff National Park 🇨🇦 Canada
~20%
13 Great Smoky Mountains National Park 🇺🇸 United States
~20%
14 Pacific Rim National Park Reserve 🇨🇦 Canada
~20%
15 Wood Buffalo National Park 🇨🇦 Canada
~20%
16 Great Bear Rainforest 🇨🇦 Canada
~10%
17 Redwood National Park 🇺🇸 United States
~10%
18 Olympic National Park 🇺🇸 United States
~10%
19 Gros Morne National Park 🇨🇦 Canada
~10%
20 Congaree National Park 🇺🇸 United States
~10%
21 Joshua Tree National Park 🇺🇸 United States
~10%
22 Badlands National Park 🇺🇸 United States
~10%
23 Death Valley National Park 🇺🇸 United States
~10%
24 Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks 🇺🇸 United States
~10%
25 Guadalupe Mountains National Park 🇺🇸 United States
~10%
26 Reserva de la Biosfera Mariposa Monarca 🇲🇽 Mexico
~10%
27 El Vizcaíno Biosphere Reserve 🇲🇽 Mexico
~10%
28 Yellowstone National Park 🇺🇸 United States
~10%
29 Rocky Mountain National Park 🇺🇸 United States
~10%
30 El Triunfo 🇲🇽 Mexico
<5%
31 Saguaro National Park 🇺🇸 United States
<5%
32 Zion National Park 🇺🇸 United States
<5%
33 Channel Islands National Park 🇺🇸 United States
<5%
34 Big Bend National Park 🇺🇸 United States
<5%
35 Cañón del Sumidero National Park 🇲🇽 Mexico
<5%
36 Arrecifes de Cozumel National Park 🇲🇽 Mexico
<5%
37 Everglades National Park 🇺🇸 United States
<5%
38 Bahía de Loreto National Park 🇲🇽 Mexico
<5%
39 Grand Canyon National Park 🇺🇸 United States
<5%
40 Cusuco National Park 🇭🇳 Honduras
<5%
41 Montes Azules Biosphere Reserve 🇲🇽 Mexico
<5%
42 Yosemite National Park 🇺🇸 United States
<5%
43 Celestún Biosphere Reserve 🇲🇽 Mexico
<5%
44 Big Cypress National Preserve 🇺🇸 United States
<5%
45 Los Quetzales National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
<5%
46 Ciénaga de Zapata 🇨🇺 Cuba
<5%
47 Tapantí-Macizo de la Muerte National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
<5%
48 Tikal National Park 🇬🇹 Guatemala
<5%
49 Tortuguero National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
<5%
50 Chirripó National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
<5%
51 La Amistad International Park (Panama) 🇵🇦 Panama
<5%
52 Soberanía National Park 🇵🇦 Panama
<5%
53 Arenal Volcano National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
<5%
54 Lago de Yojoa 🇭🇳 Honduras
Insufficient data
55 Cabo Pulmo National Park 🇲🇽 Mexico
Insufficient data
56 Nahanni National Park 🇨🇦 Canada
Insufficient data
57 Celaque National Park 🇭🇳 Honduras
Insufficient data
58 Biotopo Cerro Cahuí 🇬🇹 Guatemala
Insufficient data
59 Calakmul Biosphere Reserve 🇲🇽 Mexico
Insufficient data
60 Cabo Blanco Absolute Nature Reserve 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
Insufficient data
61 Kluane National Park 🇨🇦 Canada
Insufficient data
62 Santa Rosa National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
Insufficient data
63 Las Baulas Marine National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
Insufficient data
64 Palo Verde National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
Insufficient data
65 Wrangell-St. Elias National Park 🇺🇸 United States
Insufficient data
66 Sian Ka'an Biosphere Reserve 🇲🇽 Mexico
Insufficient data
67 Cerro Azul Meámbar National Park 🇭🇳 Honduras
Insufficient data
68 Chagres National Park 🇵🇦 Panama
Insufficient data
69 Pico Bonito National Park 🇭🇳 Honduras
Insufficient data
70 Rincón de la Vieja National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
Insufficient data
71 Corcovado National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
Insufficient data
72 Carara National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
Insufficient data
73 Bastimentos Island National Marine Park 🇵🇦 Panama
Insufficient data
74 Braulio Carrillo National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
Insufficient data
75 Monteverde Cloud Forest Reserve 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
Insufficient data

Quick answers

What are the chances of seeing a Cedar Waxwing in Saguaro National Park?

Under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Cedar Waxwing sighting in Saguaro National Park, based on 2,472 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data.

When is the best time to see Cedar Waxwing in Saguaro National Park?

January has the highest sighting rate for Cedar Waxwing in Saguaro National Park in our monthly data.

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