Celebrating 75 Years of Amos Butler Audubon Society
To celebrate Amos Butler AudubonSociety’s 75th anniversary in 2013, we will be introducing you to 75 species of birds during the course of the year on our Facebook page (https://www.facebook.com/amosbutler). Please share these accounts with family and friends and encourage them to Like our Facebook page. You do not need a Facebook account to view our page. First up is the Cedar Waxwing.
Cedar Waxwings are beautiful, masked birds that get their names from the unusual red, waxy substance at the tips of their inner wing feathers (secondaries). The waxy tips, found on both males and females, are likely related to mate selection. Waxwings are very social birds that form flocks year-round and often nest in loose clusters. Fruit, and lots of it, along with insects are the primary food sources. The bird can often be found near water catching insects in mid-air or bathing in shallow areas. Waxwings nomadic lifestyle, due to their quest for fruit, makes finding them hit or miss, especially in winter. During the summer, look for them near rivers, creeks, and lakes in central Indiana. The Cedar Waxwing served as the logo of Amos Butler Audubon for many years. Species 1 of 75: Celebrating 75 years of Amos Butler AudubonSociety.
Photo by Minette Layne from Seattle, Washington (Courtship) [CC-BY-SA-2.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0)], via Wikimedia Commons