Wren
The Eurasian Wren is a very small passerine bird and the only member of the wren family, Troglodytidae, found in Eurasia and Africa. In Europe, it is commonly known simply as the Wren. The scientific name is taken from the Greek word troglodytes meaning "cave-dweller" and referring to its habit of disappearing into cavities or crevices whilst hunting invertebrates or to roost.
The Wren is a tiny bird at just 3.5 to 4.1 inches long although it is heavier and not as slim as the even smaller Goldcrest. It is dumpy, almost rounded, with a fine bill, very short round wings and a short, narrow tail which is sometimes cocked up vertically. It is rufous brown above, greyer beneath and barred with darker brown and grey. The bill is dark brown and the legs are pale brown. Young birds are less distinctly barred.
The plumage is subject to considerable variation and, where populations have been isolated, the variation has become fixed in one minor form or another. There are around 27 sub-species of this taxonomically complex bird e.g. in Scotland, in addition to the typical bird, there are 3 distinct sub-species confined to St. Kilda, Shetland and Fair Isle.
The Wren occurs throughout Europe and across the Palearctic including a belt of Asia from north Iran and Afghanistan across to Japan. It is migratory in only the northern parts of its range. It is almost as familiar in Europe as the Robin. It can be found in a wide range of habitats including woodland, farmland, heathland, moorland, mountains, coastal areas and islands. It is also a regular visitor to gardens. The Wren is the most common UK breeding bird although it suffers declines during prolonged and severely cold winters.
For such a small bird, the Wren has a remarkably loud voice. Its song is very loud, trilling, gushing and emphatic and may sometimes be confused with that of the Dunnock although that species has a warble that is shorter and weaker. The Wren's song also incorporates repeated trill sounds whilst the Dunnock's does not. Individuals vary in quality as well as the volume of their song. The song begins with a few preliminary notes, then runs into a slightly ascending trill and ends in full clear notes or another trill. The song may be heard during any season although it is most noticeable during the spring. Despite its generally mouse-like behaviour, the male Wren may sing from an exposed perch as its whole body quivers from the effort.
The male Wren builds several nests called "cock nests" but they are never lined until the female chooses one to use. The normal round nest of grass, moss, lichens or leaves is tucked into a hole in a wall, tree trunk, crack in a rock or corner of a building but it is often built in bushes, overhanging boughs or the litter which accumulates in branches washed by floods. The female lays 5 to 8 eggs in April and second broods are generally reared.
The Wren is a highly polygamous species meaning that a male can have, at any one time, more than a single female with an active nest on his territory. An active nest is one in which there are eggs or nestlings. A male has been recorded with 4 females breeding on his territory. Bigamy and trigamy are the most common forms of polygamy.
The Wren is an insectivorous bird and mostly eats insects and spiders but in winter it will also take pupae and seeds.
Date: 11th March 2023
Location: Noak Bridge Nature Reserve, Noak Bridge, Essex
The Wren is a tiny bird at just 3.5 to 4.1 inches long although it is heavier and not as slim as the even smaller Goldcrest. It is dumpy, almost rounded, with a fine bill, very short round wings and a short, narrow tail which is sometimes cocked up vertically. It is rufous brown above, greyer beneath and barred with darker brown and grey. The bill is dark brown and the legs are pale brown. Young birds are less distinctly barred.
The plumage is subject to considerable variation and, where populations have been isolated, the variation has become fixed in one minor form or another. There are around 27 sub-species of this taxonomically complex bird e.g. in Scotland, in addition to the typical bird, there are 3 distinct sub-species confined to St. Kilda, Shetland and Fair Isle.
The Wren occurs throughout Europe and across the Palearctic including a belt of Asia from north Iran and Afghanistan across to Japan. It is migratory in only the northern parts of its range. It is almost as familiar in Europe as the Robin. It can be found in a wide range of habitats including woodland, farmland, heathland, moorland, mountains, coastal areas and islands. It is also a regular visitor to gardens. The Wren is the most common UK breeding bird although it suffers declines during prolonged and severely cold winters.
For such a small bird, the Wren has a remarkably loud voice. Its song is very loud, trilling, gushing and emphatic and may sometimes be confused with that of the Dunnock although that species has a warble that is shorter and weaker. The Wren's song also incorporates repeated trill sounds whilst the Dunnock's does not. Individuals vary in quality as well as the volume of their song. The song begins with a few preliminary notes, then runs into a slightly ascending trill and ends in full clear notes or another trill. The song may be heard during any season although it is most noticeable during the spring. Despite its generally mouse-like behaviour, the male Wren may sing from an exposed perch as its whole body quivers from the effort.
The male Wren builds several nests called "cock nests" but they are never lined until the female chooses one to use. The normal round nest of grass, moss, lichens or leaves is tucked into a hole in a wall, tree trunk, crack in a rock or corner of a building but it is often built in bushes, overhanging boughs or the litter which accumulates in branches washed by floods. The female lays 5 to 8 eggs in April and second broods are generally reared.
The Wren is a highly polygamous species meaning that a male can have, at any one time, more than a single female with an active nest on his territory. An active nest is one in which there are eggs or nestlings. A male has been recorded with 4 females breeding on his territory. Bigamy and trigamy are the most common forms of polygamy.
The Wren is an insectivorous bird and mostly eats insects and spiders but in winter it will also take pupae and seeds.
Date: 11th March 2023
Location: Noak Bridge Nature Reserve, Noak Bridge, Essex
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