An arboreal, brown and pale grey bird of the genus Bombycilla (family Bombycillidae), 18 cm long, with a black and white eyestripe, a crest, a square tail, and pointed wings, some of the wing feathers having red tips reminiscent of sealing wax. They feed on insects in summer and fruit and buds in winter. There are three species found in coniferous and birch forests in northern Eurasia and north-western North America.