From Opus

Photo by nikovich
Beauval, Saskatchewan, Canada, July 2008

Troglodytes hiemalis

[edit] Identification

Length is 9-10 cm (3.5 - 4 inches)

• Mostly brown, in most populations with a reddish tint
• Small tail (often cocked)
• Pale buff underside (some populations almost as dark as the back)
• Prominent pale supercilium
• Bill slightly down curved

[edit] Distribution

Breeds in eastern North America from southern Canada to the southern US.

[edit] Taxonomy

[edit] Subspecies^[4]

Two subspecies have been described:

• T. h. hiemalis: Eastern North America from southern Canada to southern Georgia
• T. h. pullus: Appalachian Mountains (eastern West Virginia and western Virginia to north-eastern Georgia)

Has been considered conspecific with Eurasian Wren and Pacific Wren in the past.

Rice et al in 1999 proposed placing this species in its own genus, Nannus². Later molecular studies support this classification, because the closest relative of winter wren are not other members of the genus Troglodytes but the Marsh and Sedge Wrens³.

[edit] Habitat

Can be found in almost any habitat, low down in undergrowth from gardens and woodland to clifftops.

[edit] Behaviour

Tends to keep low when flying.

[edit] Diet

Forages under dense cover for small insects and spiders

[edit] Breeding

The nest is a ball of grass, leaves or other vegetation and may be placed in a bank hole, in thick vegetation or tucked under overhang. The clutch consists of 5-8 white eggs with brownish-red speckles. They are incubated for about 2 weeks and fledge around 16 or 17 days later.

There are usually 2 broods in the season which runs from April to August.

[edit] Vocalisation

Call: Hard, dry chit or chiti
Song: Loud (especially given its size) warbling. Can last up to ten seconds.

[edit] References

1. Toews DP, Irwin DE 2008. Mol Ecol. Jun;17(11):2691-705
2. Rice et al 1999 Condor 101:446-451
3. Thread in Birdforum Taxonomy forum and references therein.
4. Clements, JF. 2010. The Clements Checklist of Birds of the World. 6th ed., with updates to December 2010. Ithaca: Cornell Univ. Press. ISBN 978-0801445019. Spreadsheet available at http://www.birds.cornell.edu/clementschecklist/Clements%206.5.xls/view

1. 51st supplement to the AOU checklist of North American birds

• List of references

[edit] External Links