The Bohemian Waxwing breeds in the northern coniferous forest, building a cup-shaped nest of twigs, lichen and moss, often near the top of a spruce. The clutch is usually around 5 eggs. During the breeding season the bird lives largely on insects, which it skilfully catches on the wing — a contrast to its berry-dominated winter diet. Breeding takes place late compared with many other passerines and is timed to around midsummer, when flying insects are at their most abundant in the taiga, and the pair tend to keep out of sight during this period.