Cedar Waxwings always remind me of bank robbers in Armani suits – well-tailored trouble! And if you have fruiting trees in your yard, they’ll certainly rob you blind (in a good way.) In late fall and winter, Cedar Waxwings will descend in free-wheeling flocks to gobble up small berries from dogwood, serviceberry, juniper, hawthorn, winterberry and, yes, cedar. But if you don’t have any of these growing in your yard, you can still use Cedar Waxwings’ title as one of North America’s only birds that specialize in eating fruit to your advantage. Try adding raisins or dried cherries to the seed in your feeders. There’s a pretty good chance they’ll find it, especially if your yard borders a forest edge. One last thing: those “waxy” deposits on their wingtips? Ornithologists are still a bit stumped, but one leading hypothesis is that they aid in breeding. Younger Cedar Waxwings have fewer deposits, older birds have more. And since life experience leads to larger, healthier broods, more waxy deposits send a strong signal as to who the best potential mates are.