Waxwing (bombycilla garrulus)

It's lovely when we see waxwings in the garden, as they don’t live here all year round. They pop over to the UK in the winter when they run out of berries in Finland. Small flocks (called ‘museums’) have been spotted in Scotswood and especially like to eat our rowan berries.

Waxwings are very striking birds to look at. They have a crest sticking up from the top of their head, a black throat, bright wings and a yellow tail tip. They are called waxwings because the flight feathers are tipped with red, which looks like the sealing wax that was used to stick down the envelope flaps of letters in years gone by.