Wren
The (Eurasian) Wren is a very small bird and the only member of the wren family found in Eurasia and Africa. In Europe, it is commonly known simply as the Wren.
The scientific name Troglodytes troglodytes is taken from the Greek word "troglodytes" (from "trogle" a hole and "dyein" to creep) meaning "cave-dweller" and refers to its habit of disappearing into cavities or crevices whilst hunting or to roost.
The Wren is rufous brown above and greyer beneath, barred with darker brown and grey even on the wings and tail. The bill is dark brown and the legs pale brown. 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 subspecies of the Wren e.g. in Scotland there are 3 distinct subspecies: the Saint Kilda Wren, the Shetland Wren and the Fair Isle Wren.
The Wren is almost as familiar in Europe as the Robin and it can be found almost everywhere from the tops of the highest mountains and moors to the sea coast. Although it is an insectivore, it can remain in moderately cold and even snowy climates by foraging for insects on bark and fallen logs.
The Wren’s movements as it creeps or climbs are incessant rather than rapid and its short flights are swift and direct but not sustained, its tiny round wings whirring as it flies from bush to bush.
The song of the Wren is a gushing burst of sweet music, loud and emphatic. It has an enormous voice for its size, 10 times louder, weight for weight, than a cockerel. Its song may sometimes be confused for the Dunnock which has warble that is shorter and weaker. The Wren's song also incorporates repeated trill sounds while the Dunnock's does not. Individuals vary in quality as well as volume of their song. The song begins with a few preliminary notes, then runs into a slightly ascending trill before ending in full clear notes or another trill. The song may be heard at any time of the year although it is most noticeable during spring. Despite its generally mouse-like behaviour, the Wren may sing from an exposed perch as its whole body quivers from the effort.
The Wren is highly polygamous and a male can more than one female with an active nest with eggs or nestlings on his territory. The male Wren builds several nests and these are called "cock nests" but 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.
Date: 23rd April 2016
Location: Sevenoaks Wildlife Reserve, Sevenoaks, Kent
The scientific name Troglodytes troglodytes is taken from the Greek word "troglodytes" (from "trogle" a hole and "dyein" to creep) meaning "cave-dweller" and refers to its habit of disappearing into cavities or crevices whilst hunting or to roost.
The Wren is rufous brown above and greyer beneath, barred with darker brown and grey even on the wings and tail. The bill is dark brown and the legs pale brown. 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 subspecies of the Wren e.g. in Scotland there are 3 distinct subspecies: the Saint Kilda Wren, the Shetland Wren and the Fair Isle Wren.
The Wren is almost as familiar in Europe as the Robin and it can be found almost everywhere from the tops of the highest mountains and moors to the sea coast. Although it is an insectivore, it can remain in moderately cold and even snowy climates by foraging for insects on bark and fallen logs.
The Wren’s movements as it creeps or climbs are incessant rather than rapid and its short flights are swift and direct but not sustained, its tiny round wings whirring as it flies from bush to bush.
The song of the Wren is a gushing burst of sweet music, loud and emphatic. It has an enormous voice for its size, 10 times louder, weight for weight, than a cockerel. Its song may sometimes be confused for the Dunnock which has warble that is shorter and weaker. The Wren's song also incorporates repeated trill sounds while the Dunnock's does not. Individuals vary in quality as well as volume of their song. The song begins with a few preliminary notes, then runs into a slightly ascending trill before ending in full clear notes or another trill. The song may be heard at any time of the year although it is most noticeable during spring. Despite its generally mouse-like behaviour, the Wren may sing from an exposed perch as its whole body quivers from the effort.
The Wren is highly polygamous and a male can more than one female with an active nest with eggs or nestlings on his territory. The male Wren builds several nests and these are called "cock nests" but 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.
Date: 23rd April 2016
Location: Sevenoaks Wildlife Reserve, Sevenoaks, Kent
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