The passing of food or other items between Cedar Waxwings apparently occurs regularly. Here are a couple of online references.

1) From the Cornell Laboratory of Ornithology account at     https://birdsoftheworld-org.proxy.birdsoftheworld.org/bow/species/cedwax/cur/behavior

"Courtship-Hopping often includes passing a small item (usually food item such as a fruit, insect, or flower petal, but sometimes inedible items, and occasionally object-passing may be merely simulated, with no object actually passed; ... between male and female, interspersed with short hops away from and back toward the mate."

2) From    https://birdsbybent.com/ch31-40/cwaxwing.html

"The passing of a berry back and forth between two birds, or along a line of birds, a procedure we may watch sometimes even in winter, may have developed from courtship feeding ... ."



The account in the Birds of the World reference indicates that the reported passing of items back and forth among more than two waxwings has not been well documented.

George Clark
Norwich, VT


On Fri, 7 Aug 2020 19:47:01 -0400, Elaine Faletra wrote:

Hi All,

Curious if this is typical behavior: This morning while on Long Pond there were quite a few Cedar waxwings along the shores. One landed on a dead spruce branch and another followed to sit by its side. Waxwing “A” gives waxwing “B" a winged insect, then “B” gives it back to “A" then “A" gives it back to “B”…this went on for a few cycles until one of them swallows it and they both fly off together. Seemed almost playful?

Thanks,
Elaine Faletra
Warren NH
 


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