starlings

Waxwings are absolutely gorgeous birds and visit Britain in the winter. They are not long-distance migrants, but move nomadically outside the breeding season to find food. Numbers arriving in Britain depend on whether it is a good or poor berry year on the continent, as Waxwings are all about fruit.

Waxwings are pinkish-brown and pale grey with distinctive smooth plumage in which many body feathers are not individually visible. They have a black and white eyestripe, black under the chin, a prominent crest, a square-cut tail with a yellow tip, and pointed wings. Some wing feathers have red tips, like sealing wax, which gives them their Waxwing name. In flight, the wings look triangular. The Waxwing's call is a high-pitched, buzzing "sirrrrr" like a bell.

Waxwings mostly feed on fruit, which they eat from early summer (strawberries, mulberries, and serviceberries) through to autumn (raspberries, blackberries, cherries, and honeysuckle berries) and into winter (juniper berries, crabapples, rowan berries, rose hips, cotoneaster fruits, dogwood berries, and mistletoe berries). They will eat two or three times their body weight in fruit each day! When fruits are unavailable, they will feed on sap, buds, flowers and insects.

They breed in north European forests, often near water, with their late May nesting timed to coincide with the ripening of summer fruits. Their courtship display involves, unsurprisingly, passing fruit to each other. Mum builds a loose nest at the fork of a branch, well away from the tree trunk. The nest is made of twigs, grass, and lichen, and lined with fine grass, moss, and pine needles. She may camouflage it by dangling bits of grass, flowers, lichen, and moss to keep it well hidden. Mum alone incubates the 3-7 eggs while dad brings her food. The eggs hatch after 14 days and both parents feed the youngsters for 15-17 days until they leave the nest. With the late start, there is only one brood.

Despite the large annual variation of numbers in Britain, Waxwings are Green Listed as European numbers are stable. Threats like human disturbance during the breeding season or habitat destruction are limited as Waxwing breeding grounds are further north than most northern European towns and cities.

Their Latin name is 'bombycilla garrulus' where 'bombycilla' comes from the Greek 'bombux' for 'silk' and the Latin 'cilla' for 'tail', and 'garrulus' is the Latin for 'talkative'. Silktail is right, but Waxwings are hardly talkative - though often talked about.

The Golden Oriole is a gloriously yellow summer migrant. Despite being so vibrant, it is surprisingly hard to see amongst the leaves of the trees. They prefer open broadleaf forests, copices and orchards, and are usually seen from April to the middle of June.

The Blackbird-sized male Golden Oriole has a striking bright yellow body with black wings and a black eye stripe. The female is a drabber green with a speckled back and white belly. They have a looping, thrush-like flight and their call is a harsh "kweeaahk", though their song is a lovely, fluty "weela-wee-ooo" which is unmistakeable once heard.

They feed on insects and berries using their bills to pick insects out of crevices. During their autumn migration, they go via the eastern Mediterranean where they will feed on fruit and are often considered a pest by Greek farmers.

Golden Orioles start breeding when they are two years old. Pairs may stay together from one season to the next, using the same nest site. The deep cup-shaped nest is placed high in a tree and built by mum, while dad supplies the materials. It is lined with grass, feathers or wool. The 3-5 eggs hatch after 15 days and are incubated and fed by both parents. The youngsters can fly 15 days later but rely on mum and dad for a further two weeks.

Very few pairs of Golden Orioles breed in Britain. The last confirmed breeding was in 2009 in East Anglia. A small number also pass through during migration in spring and autumn. The loss of suitable broadleaf woodlands might be why numbers have fallen. Overall, the worldwide population of Golden Orioles is stable.

Their Latin name is 'oriolus oriolus' where 'oriolus' and the English name 'Oriole' are derived from the Latin 'aureolus' meaning golden. In medieval England, it was called a 'woodwele' from its song.