Any of three species (family Bombycillidae) of elegant-looking songbirds named for shiny red beads on the tips of the secondary wing feathers.
All species are gray-brown and have a tapering crest. The common, or Bohemian, waxwing ( Bombycilla garrulus ) is 8 in. (20 cm) long and has yellow, white, and red wing markings. It breeds in northern forests of Eurasia and America. The cedar waxwing ( B. cedrorum ), smaller and less colourful, breeds in Canada and the northern U.S. Flocks of waxwings may invade city parks and gardens in winter, searching for berries. The Japanese waxwing ( B. japonica ) is restricted to northeastern Asia.