This Cedar Waxwing (Bombycilla cedrorum) had turned its head away from the light when I spotted it last week at Occoquan Bay National Wildlife Refuge, but I love the way that the light coming from the side illuminated the pale yellow color on its belly. I really like the rakish masks and crests of Cedar Waxwings. Normally the tips of their tails are bright yellow in color, but the tail of this one seemed to have a reddish-orange coloration.
© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved.
Mike Powell 
What a lovely image. I like the elegant shape of the bird and the way its belly plumage harmonizes with the leaf colours while the colour of the bird’s top half works with the tree trunk in the background.
Lovely to see these colourful birds
I was curious about the orange tail tip so did a bit of internet searching and apparently it’s the result of eating the berries of an introduced species of honeysuckle!
(Under the Cool Facts section: https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Cedar_Waxwing/overview)
Thanks for sharing your beautiful image, and giving me the chance to learn a fun fact today.
Thanks, Karen, for sharing the results of your research. I wondered about the orange tip, but got distracted and did not follow my curiosity. 🙂
Waxwings always look like they have their own built-in soft filter.
I know exactly what you mean. 🙂