Cedar waxwing with a berry

A winter flock of cedar waxwings found a crabapple tree still loaded with fruit and worked through it methodically, one berry at a time. This one plucked a bright red one whole, tipping its head back to swallow it — waxwings can eat astonishing quantities of fruit in a single sitting.

Why it matters

Cedar waxwings are almost entirely frugivorous outside the breeding season, and overripe, fermented berries can occasionally leave them visibly tipsy — there are documented cases of waxwing flocks temporarily grounded after gorging on fruit that had begun to ferment on the branch.

Getting the shot

The tree’s dense cluster of red fruit made an easy, saturated backdrop with almost no separation needed — just waited for a bird to grab a berry cleanly in profile rather than reaching awkwardly across the frame.