Michael Stallman has very kindly emailed me these two excellent images from Gatehouse Way in Aylesbury, allowing me an opportunity to write a short piece on ageing Waxwings.
The bird in the lower image is an ADULT MALE, typified by its broad pale yellow terminal tail-band and sharply defined black throat patch. Males also have more striking red waxing on the wing. Adult females have a much narrower yellow tail band and a relatively poorly-defined black throat patch. Both adults have clearly visible white tips to the primaries.
FIRST-YEARS, such as the bird in the top image, have a very thin yellow terminal tail-band and lack the white primary tips, possessing just pale fringes to the outer webs.
