Winter Wren - BirdForum Opus

Photo by nikovich
Beauval, Saskatchewan, Canada, July 2008

Troglodytes hiemalis

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

Distribution

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

Taxonomy

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.

Habitat

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

Behaviour

Tends to keep low when flying.

Diet

Forages under dense cover for small insects and spiders

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.

Vocalisation

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

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

Recommended Citation

• BirdForum Opus contributors. (2025) Winter Wren. In: BirdForum, the forum for wild birds and birding. Retrieved 25 January 2025 from https://www.birdforum.net/opus/Winter_Wren

External Links

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