Winter Wren

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Winter Wren
In North America, the Winter Wren is primarily a denizen of the cool northern coniferous forests found in the northern United States and Canada. Winter Wren populations occur in the higher altitudes of the Appalachians, in the dense spruce forests of the Rocky Mountains, and in the rugged stream beds and redwood forests of the Pacific Coast. Throughout most of its range, Winter Wren habitats are characterized by deep shade and forest floors littered with rotting stumps and fallen moss-covered logs. A completely different habitat is occupied by a group of Winter Wrens in the treeless Aleutian Islands, where they forage and nest on cliffs or in clumps of grass in rocky places along streams and the shoreline.
Winter Wren Range Map

This tiny brown insectivore feeds on the forest floor and often along the banks of streams. It is not often observed in open flight, but rather flitting from bush to bush, or running mouselike on the forest floor. Nests are usually found on or near the ground, often in the upturned roots of a fallen tree.

The song of the Winter Wren is surprisingly loud and quite long, often lasting more than seven seconds. By comparison, a Song Sparrow's song typically lasts two-and-one-half seconds. The rich, high-pitched, rising and falling fifelike song is made up of 30 to 50 individual notes and trills, often sung so rapidly it is hard to distinguish them. Eastern birds have a repertoire of one to three simply organized songs, but in the West, Winter Wrens sing faster, more-complex songs and have repertoires of 30 or more songs.

Winter Wrens retreat from their Canadian range in winter and inhabit dry open woods and brushy shrub lands in the southeastern United States, although some linger in the southern parts of their breeding range. Western and Appalachian Mountain populations move to lower altitudes in winter. Returning migrants arrive early in spring, often while the ground is still frozen and snow-covered.

Description: Winter Wrens are tiny birds, only four inches long, with thin, slightly down-curved bills and short stubby tails characteristically held erect or even cocked forward over their rumps. The upperparts are dark brown; the underparts are pale brown with heavy barring on the flanks, belly, and under the tail. There is a narrow light brown stripe over the eyes. The short wings are barred with chestnut and dark brown. Both sexes look alike. Compared to the House Wren (Troglodytes aedon), Winter Wrens are smaller and darker, with shorter tails. The barring on the House Wren is much less prominent and extensive.

Western Winter Wrens are darker than their eastern counterparts, with more rufous underparts and a straighter and more-slender bill. Eastern birds are barred underneath with black and white, whereas those in the West have little or no whitish spotting among the dusky bars. Aleutian birds are larger, somewhat paler, and longer billed.

The Winter Wren is the only one of the 59 species of wrens to live outside of the New World. It is believed that approximately two million years ago, the species crossed the Bering Sea land bridge. From there, the Winter Wren expanded its range all the way to Britain, where today it is one of the most common birds and is know simply as the wren, and to Iceland, not far from its North American home. It is also found from Siberia south to southern Japan and Taiwan, throughout Europe, and in North Africa.

Visit Shaw Creek Bird Supply to see our selection of Wren Houses.