Cedar Waxwings

No, I love the Cedar Waxwings! But chinaberries are toxic (at least, I've always heard that)...I'm worried about those birds! They could die or something. This is at the place next door...if it was my property, I'd have cut down that tree...although I have to admit, the flowers are lovely! That place is vacant and will probably go into foreclosure soon, so I put a tray of whatever dried fruit stuff I could find in my houseand left it on the back steps there and threw more fruit on the roof for them. I have an open feeder here with a variety that includes little bits of fruit, but I don't think they are coming to it. The only time I've seen them on the property was last weekend when they were perched on trees way at the back of the place. When I saw birds for several days on trees at that other property, I couldn't tell what they were until I went over today and took photos...then realized they must be Cedar Waxwings!

HOLY MOLY....Would love to see HUGE flocks like that!! Great pics GP!

Just checked up on Chinaberry seeds, Linda....and they are poisonous to humans if eaten in large quantities, but harmless to birds.

I'm not so sure...I read something somewhere about wild birds being paralyzed if they eat too much. They are eating all day! In Texas, Chinaberry is well-known to be toxic and highly invasive. Cattle, sheep, goats, pigs, dogs, rats, guinea pigs, poultry and humans are what's listed as known that can be poisoned by it in the book I have. The book is mainly for ranchers and other livestock owners. They don't talk about wild birds, because that's not of so much concern for for ranchers and such. I didn't mention it, but I found a dead Cedar Waxwing about two weeks ago near that house. Could be a coincidence, but I just don't like this. I've been trying to add natives to my place that produce food for wildlife, but nothing I've got has any fruit this time of year.

I've been checking around again, and the majority of opinion is Chinaberry is poisonous to humans and mammals, but not for birds. A couple of sites stated if a bird eats too many of the seeds, it could paralyze it. This is one of those things that no doubt would be better not to have, just to be safe, since it is so poisonous to children, dogs, etc. Linda, is it possible the Waxwings eat the fruit but not the seeds? Or are they swallowing it whole like most fruits?

This message was edited Mar 26, 2010 8:52 AM

Well, I didn't see it that well to know for sure if they really swallow it...I thought they were. I saw berries falling, but I think that might have been the ones they dropped. I just wish they seem interested in the dried fruits I have. Maybe dried raisins and apricots aren't their thing. But I'll bet other birds will be eating them...they do at my open feeder!

I think there are probably tons of berries like that… Holly and pokeberries for example, that are toxic but not for birds.

I grow pokeweed...it's a good fruit for the birds!

I saw this link on another site. At least it gives me hope they'll just get drunk and not poisoned!
http://www.birdlady.com/drunkenbirds.html

Interesting and sad article, Linda. Thanks for posting it.

Yesterday while at work I saw a large group of Waxwings strip a small tree of its' berries in less than a minute. What a sight.

That would be quite a sight!

I am so happy I found this thread as I have just seen a flock of Cedar Waxwings & am so excited, since I've nver seen them here ( my area) before. They were eating the leaves off of a tree..my guess is an ash, as that's what's in my area mostly. I got my camera & just started clicking.. they are beautiful birds & I am new to them so now will be researching them! hahaha.