A small brown wren common in suburban areas.
§ Quick facts
§ Encyclopedia
The northern house wren is a very small passerine in the wren family Troglodytidae. It is found in southern Canada, the USA and Mexico. It occurs in most suburban areas in its range. It formerly included many subspecies resident in South America and in the Caribbean that are now considered as separate species. The name troglodytes means "hole dweller", and is a reference to the bird's tendency to disappear into crevices when hunting insects or to seek shelter.
Source: Wikipedia — Northern house wren Licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0
§ Identification
Field marks. Small drab brown wren with faint eyebrow stripe; cocked tail; relatively long thin bill compared to other US wrens.
Similar species. Winter Wren (much darker, very short tail). Bewick's Wren (longer tail, white eyebrow). Marsh Wren (white back streaks).
Voice. Bubbling cascading song; harsh "chr-r-r-r-r" scolding call.
§ Diet & behavior
Diet. Insects, spiders, snails. Almost exclusively invertebrate prey.
Behavior. Famously territorial — single males may destroy eggs and even kill nestlings of competing cavity-nesters (bluebirds, tree swallows, chickadees) to claim cavities. Males build multiple "dummy" nests; females select one to line with feathers. One of the most widely distributed bird species in the Americas, breeding from Canada to southern South America.
§ Range
Across North America
§ Habitat
Diverse habitats
§ Threats
Habitat loss.
§ Conservation status
According to the IUCN Red List, the house wren is currently classified as Least Concern.
§ What helps
Install nest boxes. Plant native shrubs.
§ Further reading
- Wikipedia — Northern house wren
- www.allaboutbirds.org — authoritative profile of Troglodytes aedon
- IUCN Red List · taxon 22711175
- iNaturalist · taxon 8223
- eBird · houwre
- GBIF occurrence records
- Encyclopedia of Life — Troglodytes aedon
§ Sources cited
- Cornell Lab — All About Birds
- National Audubon Society
- iNaturalist
- IUCN Red List 2018
