Population status

Bohemian Waxwing
(Bombycilla garrulus)

With a large portion of its breeding range in the far north, its flocking behavior, and wide annual fluctuations caused by periodic irruptions, the Bohemian Waxwing is a difficult species to monitor. The best information comes from the Christmas Bird Count (CBC), which monitors the species on its wintering grounds and suggests little overall change in the population since 1970. Although CBC numbers include birds that breed in Alaska, Canada likely hosts the majority of the North American breeding population, so the results are reflective of the Canadian population. However, the interpretation of results is further complicated by a northward shift in the wintering range of Bohemian Waxwings (Niven and Butcher 2009), which may result in more of the population wintering north of the area well covered by the CBC. The boreal forest breeding grounds of the Bohemian Waxwing are not well covered by the other major survey, the Breeding Bird Survey, which has few observations (especially during the 1970s) and imprecise trend estimates. The Bohemian Waxwing is at an acceptable level relative to its national population goal (see North America graph below).

 

Population goal and acceptable levels of variation

Species/groupGoalLower levelUpper level
Bohemian WaxwingMean abundance (first 5 years of survey)10th percentile of observed abundance (1970-2012)Not applicable

Picture of logo Christmas Bird Count (CBC)

Additional information on: Christmas Bird Count (CBC)

Table 1: Population trends by geographic area
Geographic areaTime PeriodAnnual Trend Table 1 - footnote 1 Limits
LowerUpper
North America Select to view graph of the geographic area: North America 1970-2016; Christmas Bird Count (CBC)1970-20160-5.65.95
 

References