Wren

Wren, common name for members of a family of insectivorous songbirds (see Passerine). The wrens constitute an American group; only one of the more than 70 species has reached Eurasia. Most are small, ranging from 10 to 22 cm (4 to 8.75 in) in length. The black-capped donacobius of marshy areas of South America, one of the largest species, was formerly placed in the mockingbird family, but behavioral and anatomical studies have shown it to be an aberrant wren. Its plumage is black above and white below, but most wrens are brown, with white, black, and gray in solid patterns, streaks, and spots.

Wrens are highly vocal, and in many species males and females sing duets. Most wrens are found in pairs, but a number of tropical species are highly gregarious and forage in flocks. Nesting habits vary; some build nests in natural or man-made hollows, while others construct nests, often quite large, of twigs and grasses. The male marsh wren of North America, often builds several “dummy nests” before the female accepts one and the pair settles down to breed.

The smallest North American wrens are the continental subspecies of winter wren, although some Alaskan winter wrens are as much as 20 percent larger. The bob-tailed species is the only wren in Eurasia. In Great Britain, where it is known simply as wren, it is common to woods, parks, and gardens. In North America this niche is occupied by the house wren, which breeds from Canada to southern South America. It is about 13 cm (about 5 in) long, brown, barred with black above, and paler below. It readily accepts nest boxes, even close to houses.

The cactus wren, of the arid southwest, is the largest North American wren. It is the northernmost species of a diverse genus whose species occupy many tropical habitats. The Carolina wren, a reddish-brown species with a prominent white eyebrow, is also the northernmost member of a large tropical genus. It ranges north to New England, but because it is nonmigratory, suffers high mortality during hard winters.

Scientific classification: Wrens make up the family Troglodytidae of the order Passeriformes. The black-capped donacobius is classified as Donacobius atricapillus, the marsh wren as Cistothorus palustris, the winter wren as Troglodytes troglodytes, the house wren as Troglodytes aedon, the cactus wren as Campylorhynchus brunneicapillus, and the Carolina wren as Thryothorus ludovicianus.