dcsimg

Lifespan, longevity, and ageing

provided by AnAge articles
Maximum longevity: 9 years (wild)
license
cc-by-3.0
copyright
Joao Pedro de Magalhaes
editor
de Magalhaes, J. P.
partner site
AnAge articles

Trophic Strategy

provided by Animal Diversity Web

House wrens feed primarily on small, terrestrial insects. The independent young and adults consume mostly spiders, beetles, and bugs while the nestlings are fed mostly grasshoppers, crickets, and caterpillars. Adults feed their young and supplement their own diet with sources of calcium such as mollusk shells. House wrens forage primarily in the woodland subcanopy, in shrubs and among herbaceous ground cover.

Animal Foods: insects

Primary Diet: carnivore (Insectivore )

license
cc-by-nc-sa-3.0
copyright
The Regents of the University of Michigan and its licensors
bibliographic citation
Brown, J. 2001. "Troglodytes aedon" (On-line), Animal Diversity Web. Accessed April 27, 2013 at http://animaldiversity.ummz.umich.edu/site/accounts/information/Troglodytes_aedon.html
author
Jenny Brown, University of Alberta
editor
Cindy Paszkowski, University of Alberta
editor
Kari Kirschbaum, Animal Diversity Web
editor
Tanya Dewey, Animal Diversity Web
original
visit source
partner site
Animal Diversity Web

Associations

provided by Animal Diversity Web

Predators of house wrens include cats, rats, opossums, woodpeckers, foxes, owls, raccoons, squirrels, and various snakes. Adult house wrens respond to predators by chasing and striking at the predator while giving a loud, harsh alarm call.

Known Predators:

  • domestic cats (Felis silvestris)
  • brown rats (Rattus norvegicus)
  • Virginia opossums (Didelphis virginiana)
  • woodpeckers (Piciformes)
  • red foxes (Vulpes vulpes)
  • owls (Strigiformes)
  • raccoons (Procyon lotor)
  • squirrels (Sciuridae)
  • various snakes (Serpentes)
  • Mississippi kites (Ictinia mississippiensis)
license
cc-by-nc-sa-3.0
copyright
The Regents of the University of Michigan and its licensors
bibliographic citation
Brown, J. 2001. "Troglodytes aedon" (On-line), Animal Diversity Web. Accessed April 27, 2013 at http://animaldiversity.ummz.umich.edu/site/accounts/information/Troglodytes_aedon.html
author
Jenny Brown, University of Alberta
editor
Cindy Paszkowski, University of Alberta
editor
Kari Kirschbaum, Animal Diversity Web
editor
Tanya Dewey, Animal Diversity Web
original
visit source
partner site
Animal Diversity Web

Morphology

provided by Animal Diversity Web

House wrens are small, squat birds without bold or characteristic markings. They have long, curved bills and, like other wrens, perch in a characteristic posture with their tail held erect. Their heads, napes, and backs are almost uniformly brown with very fine darker brown stripes. Their throats and chests are light grey, and they may have some black, dark brown, or pinkish spots on their flanks, tails, and wings. There is a faint, white eyebrow-like stripe above their eyes.

House wrens are usually 11 to 13 cm long and weigh 10 to 12 g. Males and females are identical in coloration, but males are slightly larger in some traits.

There are about 30 recognized subspecies of Troglodytes aedon. These subspecies are differentiated by plumage shading, amount of barring on flanks, variation in wing-to-tail proportions, and vocalizations.

Range mass: 10 to 12 g.

Range length: 11 to 13 cm.

Other Physical Features: endothermic ; bilateral symmetry ; polymorphic

Sexual Dimorphism: sexes alike; male larger

license
cc-by-nc-sa-3.0
copyright
The Regents of the University of Michigan and its licensors
bibliographic citation
Brown, J. 2001. "Troglodytes aedon" (On-line), Animal Diversity Web. Accessed April 27, 2013 at http://animaldiversity.ummz.umich.edu/site/accounts/information/Troglodytes_aedon.html
author
Jenny Brown, University of Alberta
editor
Cindy Paszkowski, University of Alberta
editor
Kari Kirschbaum, Animal Diversity Web
editor
Tanya Dewey, Animal Diversity Web
original
visit source
partner site
Animal Diversity Web

Life Expectancy

provided by Animal Diversity Web

The oldest known house wren lived to be at least 7 years old. It is difficult to estimate the lifespan of these birds because they do not return to the same area every year.

Range lifespan
Status: wild:
7 (high) years.

Average lifespan
Status: wild:
108 months.

license
cc-by-nc-sa-3.0
copyright
The Regents of the University of Michigan and its licensors
bibliographic citation
Brown, J. 2001. "Troglodytes aedon" (On-line), Animal Diversity Web. Accessed April 27, 2013 at http://animaldiversity.ummz.umich.edu/site/accounts/information/Troglodytes_aedon.html
author
Jenny Brown, University of Alberta
editor
Cindy Paszkowski, University of Alberta
editor
Kari Kirschbaum, Animal Diversity Web
editor
Tanya Dewey, Animal Diversity Web
original
visit source
partner site
Animal Diversity Web

Habitat

provided by Animal Diversity Web

In the wild, house wrens live in open, shrubby woodlands. However, they were named for their preference for small town and suburban backyards and human-made bird houses. Small wood-lots and forest edges are also common habitats for these birds. Human farming and towns have created more good breeding habitat for the wren by breaking forests up into small chunks. This explains why house wrens have expanded their range and their population in North America has grown. During the winter, wrens live in thickets, shrubby and brushy areas, riparian forests, and savannas in the southern United States. In Mexico, they prefer tropical evergreen and semideciduous forests.

Habitat Regions: temperate ; tropical ; terrestrial

Terrestrial Biomes: forest

Other Habitat Features: urban ; suburban ; agricultural

license
cc-by-nc-sa-3.0
copyright
The Regents of the University of Michigan and its licensors
bibliographic citation
Brown, J. 2001. "Troglodytes aedon" (On-line), Animal Diversity Web. Accessed April 27, 2013 at http://animaldiversity.ummz.umich.edu/site/accounts/information/Troglodytes_aedon.html
author
Jenny Brown, University of Alberta
editor
Cindy Paszkowski, University of Alberta
editor
Kari Kirschbaum, Animal Diversity Web
editor
Tanya Dewey, Animal Diversity Web
original
visit source
partner site
Animal Diversity Web

Distribution

provided by Animal Diversity Web

House wrens are native to the Nearctic region. During the breeding season they live from southern Canada to southern Argentina, Chile and the Falkland Islands. They spend the winter in a narrower range; the southern limits of the United States, southwestern California east to Florida and south throughout the Gulf Coast and Mexico.

Biogeographic Regions: nearctic (Native ); neotropical (Native )

license
cc-by-nc-sa-3.0
copyright
The Regents of the University of Michigan and its licensors
bibliographic citation
Brown, J. 2001. "Troglodytes aedon" (On-line), Animal Diversity Web. Accessed April 27, 2013 at http://animaldiversity.ummz.umich.edu/site/accounts/information/Troglodytes_aedon.html
author
Jenny Brown, University of Alberta
editor
Cindy Paszkowski, University of Alberta
editor
Kari Kirschbaum, Animal Diversity Web
editor
Tanya Dewey, Animal Diversity Web
original
visit source
partner site
Animal Diversity Web

Associations

provided by Animal Diversity Web

House wrens help to control insect populations. They also supply food for many different animals.

license
cc-by-nc-sa-3.0
copyright
The Regents of the University of Michigan and its licensors
bibliographic citation
Brown, J. 2001. "Troglodytes aedon" (On-line), Animal Diversity Web. Accessed April 27, 2013 at http://animaldiversity.ummz.umich.edu/site/accounts/information/Troglodytes_aedon.html
author
Jenny Brown, University of Alberta
editor
Cindy Paszkowski, University of Alberta
editor
Kari Kirschbaum, Animal Diversity Web
editor
Tanya Dewey, Animal Diversity Web
original
visit source
partner site
Animal Diversity Web

Benefits

provided by Animal Diversity Web

House wrens eat insects that may be considered to be pests by humans.

Positive Impacts: controls pest population

license
cc-by-nc-sa-3.0
copyright
The Regents of the University of Michigan and its licensors
bibliographic citation
Brown, J. 2001. "Troglodytes aedon" (On-line), Animal Diversity Web. Accessed April 27, 2013 at http://animaldiversity.ummz.umich.edu/site/accounts/information/Troglodytes_aedon.html
author
Jenny Brown, University of Alberta
editor
Cindy Paszkowski, University of Alberta
editor
Kari Kirschbaum, Animal Diversity Web
editor
Tanya Dewey, Animal Diversity Web
original
visit source
partner site
Animal Diversity Web

Benefits

provided by Animal Diversity Web

There are no known adverse affects of house wrens on humans.

license
cc-by-nc-sa-3.0
copyright
The Regents of the University of Michigan and its licensors
bibliographic citation
Brown, J. 2001. "Troglodytes aedon" (On-line), Animal Diversity Web. Accessed April 27, 2013 at http://animaldiversity.ummz.umich.edu/site/accounts/information/Troglodytes_aedon.html
author
Jenny Brown, University of Alberta
editor
Cindy Paszkowski, University of Alberta
editor
Kari Kirschbaum, Animal Diversity Web
editor
Tanya Dewey, Animal Diversity Web
original
visit source
partner site
Animal Diversity Web

Conservation Status

provided by Animal Diversity Web

House wrens are a very successful species because they have benefited from forest fragmentation and other human-induced habitat changes. They are quite tolerant of pesticides, habitat alteration and nest disturbance, allowing them to live and reproduce successfully even in human populated areas. This species is protected under the U.S. Migratory Bird Act.

US Migratory Bird Act: protected

US Federal List: no special status

CITES: no special status

State of Michigan List: no special status

IUCN Red List of Threatened Species: least concern

license
cc-by-nc-sa-3.0
copyright
The Regents of the University of Michigan and its licensors
bibliographic citation
Brown, J. 2001. "Troglodytes aedon" (On-line), Animal Diversity Web. Accessed April 27, 2013 at http://animaldiversity.ummz.umich.edu/site/accounts/information/Troglodytes_aedon.html
author
Jenny Brown, University of Alberta
editor
Cindy Paszkowski, University of Alberta
editor
Kari Kirschbaum, Animal Diversity Web
editor
Tanya Dewey, Animal Diversity Web
original
visit source
partner site
Animal Diversity Web

Behavior

provided by Animal Diversity Web

House wrens are widely known for their songs. While both sexes produce calls and songs, the males' songs are more complex. Altogether, 130 different song types are known from house wrens. Unmated males can sing for up to 10 minutes. Males with a mate often sing a "whispering song", which is very quiet, and is only sung around the time of copulation. The purpose of the quiet song may be to avoid revealing the location of his fertile mate to other males. The female sings during the first days of pairing when she responds to her mate's song.

House wrens also communicate using body language. If a predator approaches, males crouch and drop their wings, raise their back feathers, and lower their fanned-out tail.

Communication Channels: visual ; acoustic

Perception Channels: visual ; tactile ; acoustic ; chemical

license
cc-by-nc-sa-3.0
copyright
The Regents of the University of Michigan and its licensors
bibliographic citation
Brown, J. 2001. "Troglodytes aedon" (On-line), Animal Diversity Web. Accessed April 27, 2013 at http://animaldiversity.ummz.umich.edu/site/accounts/information/Troglodytes_aedon.html
author
Jenny Brown, University of Alberta
editor
Cindy Paszkowski, University of Alberta
editor
Kari Kirschbaum, Animal Diversity Web
editor
Tanya Dewey, Animal Diversity Web
original
visit source
partner site
Animal Diversity Web

Reproduction

provided by Animal Diversity Web

House wrens are socially monogamous, meaning that one male and one female mate together and share parental responsibilities. However, some studies have shown that males that have surplus nest sites in their territory advertise for secondary mates. About 10% of the males in one study were polygynous. Adults often switch breeding partners between the first and second brood of a season. Breeding pairs do not last for any more than one season.

Mating System: monogamous

House wrens breed between late April and early September, with the majority of clutches started in mid-late May. The males are the first to return from migration and establish territory for nesting within a few hours/days of arrival. The females return in time to complete the nest after choosing a male. Females that nest at low latitudes (including most of the U.S.) and/or low altitudes generally raise two broods per season.

House wrens nest in tree cavities, such as old woodpecker holes. They prefer cavities closer to the ground with small entrances. The male begins building the nest by placing sticks in the bottom of the cavity. When the female arrives, she finishes building the nest. The female lays a clutch of 4 to 8 (usually 6) eggs, which she incubates for about 12 days. The chicks are altricial when they hatch, and are brooded by the female. Both parents feed the chicks, which fledge after 15 to 17 days. The chicks all leave the nest within a few hours of each other. After the chicks leave the nest, both parents continue to feed them for about 13 days.

House wrens are able to breed (have reached sexual maturity) when they are 1 year old, but some first time breeders skip the regular breeding time and choose instead to breed alongside the older birds who are attempting a second clutch in a season.

Breeding interval: House wrens may raise up to two broods each breeding season.

Breeding season: House wrens breed between late April and early September.

Range eggs per season: 4 to 8.

Average time to hatching: 12 days.

Range fledging age: 15 to 17 days.

Average time to independence: 13 days.

Average age at sexual or reproductive maturity (female): 1 years.

Average age at sexual or reproductive maturity (male): 1 years.

Key Reproductive Features: iteroparous ; seasonal breeding ; gonochoric/gonochoristic/dioecious (sexes separate); sexual ; oviparous

Average time to hatching: 14 days.

Average eggs per season: 7.

House wren chicks are completely helpless and dependant on their parents, who both care for the young. They fledge after about 15 to 17 days and all leave the nest within a few hours of each other. The parents continue to feed them for about 13 days after they leave the nest.

Parental Investment: altricial ; pre-fertilization (Provisioning, Protecting: Female); pre-hatching/birth (Protecting: Female); pre-weaning/fledging (Provisioning: Male, Female, Protecting: Male, Female); pre-independence (Provisioning: Male, Female)

license
cc-by-nc-sa-3.0
copyright
The Regents of the University of Michigan and its licensors
bibliographic citation
Brown, J. 2001. "Troglodytes aedon" (On-line), Animal Diversity Web. Accessed April 27, 2013 at http://animaldiversity.ummz.umich.edu/site/accounts/information/Troglodytes_aedon.html
author
Jenny Brown, University of Alberta
editor
Cindy Paszkowski, University of Alberta
editor
Kari Kirschbaum, Animal Diversity Web
editor
Tanya Dewey, Animal Diversity Web
original
visit source
partner site
Animal Diversity Web

Troglodytes aedon

provided by DC Birds Brief Summaries

A small (4 ½ -5 inches) wren, the House Wren is most easily identified by its plain tan-brown back, tan breast, short tail (often held up at an angle), curved bill, and faint white eye-stripes. This species may be distinguished from the similar Carolina Wren (Thryothorus ludovicianus) by that species’ larger size and redder plumage and from Bewick’s Wren (Thryothorus ludovicianus) by that species’ larger size and brighter eye-stripes. Male and female House Wrens are similar to one another in all seasons. The House Wren breeds in southern Canada and the northern half of the United States, with other breeding populations occurring from southern Mexico and the West Indies to southern South America. In winter, populations breeding in North America winter in the southern half of the United States and northern Mexico. By contrast, tropical and South American House Wren populations are non-migratory. House Wrens inhabit a variety of semi-open habitats, including bushy fields, woodland edges, and scrub. This species has also adapted to life in well-vegetated urban and suburban areas, and its habit of nesting in artificial nest-boxes, also known as “bird houses,” has become part of this species’ English-language common name. House Wrens exclusively eat small insects. In appropriate habitat, House Wrens may be seen foraging for food on the ground or in the branches of bushes and shrubs. Birdwatchers may also listen for this species’ song, a rapid series of warbled notes. House Wrens are most active during the day.

Threat Status: Least Concern

license
cc-by-nc-sa-3.0
copyright
Smithsonian Institution
author
Reid Rumelt

Troglodytes aedon

provided by EOL authors

A small (4 ½ -5 inches) wren, the House Wren is most easily identified by its plain tan-brown back, tan breast, short tail (often held up at an angle), curved bill, and faint white eye-stripes. This species may be distinguished from the similar Carolina Wren (Thryothorus ludovicianus) by that species’ larger size and redder plumage and from Bewick’s Wren (Thryothorus ludovicianus) by that species’ larger size and brighter eye-stripes. Male and female House Wrens are similar to one another in all seasons. The House Wren breeds in southern Canada and the northern half of the United States, with other breeding populations occurring from southern Mexico and the West Indies to southern South America. In winter, populations breeding in North America winter in the southern half of the United States and northern Mexico. By contrast, tropical and South American House Wren populations are non-migratory. House Wrens inhabit a variety of semi-open habitats, including bushy fields, woodland edges, and scrub. This species has also adapted to life in well-vegetated urban and suburban areas, and its habit of nesting in artificial nest-boxes, also known as “bird houses,” has become part of this species’ English-language common name. House Wrens exclusively eat small insects. In appropriate habitat, House Wrens may be seen foraging for food on the ground or in the branches of bushes and shrubs. Birdwatchers may also listen for this species’ song, a rapid series of warbled notes. House Wrens are most active during the day.

References

  • Johnson, L. Scott. 1998. House Wren (Troglodytes aedon), The Birds of North America Online (A. Poole, Ed.). Ithaca: Cornell Lab of Ornithology; Retrieved from the Birds of North America Online: http://bna.birds.cornell.edu/bna/species/380
  • eBird Range Map - House Wren. eBird. Cornell Lab of Ornithology, N.d. Web. 20 July 2012.
  • Troglodytes aedon. Xeno-canto. Xeno-canto Foundation, n.d. Web. 20 July 2012.
  • Northern House Wren (Troglodytes aedon). The Internet Bird Collection. Lynx Edicions, n.d. Web. 20 July 2012.

license
cc-by-nc-sa-4.0
copyright
Smithsonian Institution
bibliographic citation
Rumelt, Reid B. Troglodytes aedon. June-July 2012. Brief natural history summary of Troglodytes aedon. Smithsonian's National Museum of Natural History, Washington, D.C.
author
Robert Costello (kearins)
original
visit source
partner site
EOL authors

Comprehensive Description

provided by Smithsonian Contributions to Zoology
Troglodytes aedon Vieillot

Miller (1963:47) found this wren to be a host of the shiny cowbird at San Antonio, western Andes, Colombia. The local race of the wren is T. aedon striatulus, which has not otherwise been reported as a cowbird victim. Dr. J. I. Borero and Father Antonio Olivares have informed us of numerous observations they have made of parasitism on the house wren in the region of Cali, Colombia, as well. Previously seven other subspecies, T. a. albicans, T. a. tobagensis, T. a. musculus, T. a. rex, T. a. audax, T. a. chilensis, and T. a. bonariae, had been known to be parasitized. The present record refers to the cowbird race M. bonariensis cabanisii, a subspecies not hitherto reported as including this wren among its victims.

From Trinidad there were earlier (Friedmann, 1963:207) a number of records of parasitism on this wren (race T. aedon albicans, of which T. a. clarus is a synonym). To these may be added 17 more such instances, demonstrating beyond question that the house wren, in spite of its small size, is the most frequently reported host of the shiny cowbird in that island that has many potential (and actual) hosts. Of these additional cases, 10 have come to us through the kindness of Dr. D. W. Snow, and the other 7 were reported to us by R. P. ffrench. In 1 of the latter's instances there were 4 eggs of the wren and 9 of the cowbird, a nest that could hardly have been successful. In 9 of the 10 cases observed by Snow, the parasite's eggs were accepted and incubated and the young cowbirds were reared; in only a single case were the “eggs thrown out after cowbird visit.”

From the combined evidence supplied by ffrench and Snow, it becomes apparent that the cowbird parasitizes other hosts in localities where the house wren is absent, but that the parasite prefers the wren when it is available. (See the note on Agelaius icterocephalus in the present paper).

The house wren has also been found, by Paul Schwartz, to be a victim of the shiny cowbird (race M. bonariensis venezuelensis) in the vicinity of Caracas, Venezuela.

This wren is of more than usual interest, since in Argentina and Uruguay it is seldom imposed upon (by M. bonariensis bonariensis) while in Guyana and Trinidad it is a favorite host choice of M. bonariensis minimus (Friedmann, 1963:207). By way of contrast, it may be mentioned that in North America the house wren is extremely infrequently parasitized; thus in Ontario, only 1 out of 709 nests reported was parasitized by M. ater.

PATAGONIAN MOCKINGBIRD

Mimus patagonicus (Lafresnaye and d'Orbigny)

A fourth instance of parasitism on this mockingbird is a set of 2 eggs of the host and 1 of the parasite, collected at Maquinehao, Rio Negro, Argentina, 26 October 1911, by J. R. Pemberton, now in the collections of the Western Foundation. A fifth instance was found near Patagones, Buenos Aires Province, 15 December 1972, by S. Narosky.

CHILEAN MOCKINGBIRD
license
cc-by-nc-sa-3.0
bibliographic citation
Friedmann, Herbert, Kiff, Lloyd F., and Rothstein, Stephen I. 1977. "A further contribution of knowledge of the host relations of the parasitic cowbirds." Smithsonian Contributions to Zoology. 1-75. https://doi.org/10.5479/si.00810282.235

House wren

provided by wikipedia EN

The house wren (Troglodytes aedon) is a very small bird of the wren family, Troglodytidae. It occurs from Canada to southernmost South America, and is thus the most widely distributed native bird in the Americas.[2] It occurs in most suburban areas in its range and it is the single most common wren. Its taxonomy is highly complex and some subspecies groups are often considered separate species. The name troglodytes means "hole dweller", and is a reference to the bird's tendency to disappear into crevices when hunting insects or to seek shelter.

Taxonomy

The house wren was formally described in 1809 by the French ornithologist Louis Jean Pierre Vieillot under the current binomial name Troglodytes aedon.[3] The specific epithet is from the Ancient Greek aēdōn meaning "nightingale".[4] The type locality was designated as New York City by Harry Oberholser in 1934.[5][6]

There are 32 recognised subspecies.[7] These are sometimes divided into three distinct groups and one or several distinct island-endemic subspecies. Some or all of these are sometimes considered as distinct species.

  • Northern house wren, Troglodytes (aedon) aedon group – Canada to southern United States
  • Southern house wren, Troglodytes (aedon) musculus group – southern Mexico, Central and South America
  • Brown-throated wren, Troglodytes (aedon) brunneicollis group – southern United States and central ranges of Mexico
  • Cozumel wren, Troglodytes (aedon) beaniCozumel Island off the Yucatán Peninsula, Mexico

It has also been suggested that the taxa from the Lesser Antilles represent one or more separate species, but there is less agreement as to their subdivision, because as far as they have been studied to date, there is little clear biogeographical structure among these populations.[8]

Three additional taxa from more oceanic islands have traditionally been included in the house wren, but are now considered as separate species:[7]

Description

Adult house wrens are about 11 to 13 cm (4.3 to 5.1 in) long, with a 15 cm (5.9 in) wingspan and weigh about 10 to 12 g (0.35 to 0.42 oz).[9] Among standard measurements, the wing chord is 4.7 to 5.3 cm (1.9 to 2.1 in), the tail is 3.9 to 4.4 cm (1.5 to 1.7 in), the culmen is 1.1 to 1.3 cm (0.43 to 0.51 in) and the tarsus is 1.6 to 1.8 cm (0.63 to 0.71 in).[2] The subspecies vary greatly, with upper parts ranging from dull greyish-brown to rich rufescent-brown, and the underparts ranging from brown, over buff and pale grey, to pure white. All subspecies have blackish barring to the wings and tail, and some also to the flanks. All subspecies show a faint eye-ring and eyebrow and have a long, thin bill with a blackish upper mandible, and a black-tipped yellowish or pale grey lower mandible. The legs are pinkish or grey. The short tail is typically held cocked.[10]

This bird's rich bubbly song is commonly heard during the nesting season but rarely afterwards. There is marked geographical variation in the song, though somewhat more gradual than in the bird's outward appearance that can strikingly differ, e.g., on neighboring islands in the Caribbean.[8] Birds from far north and south of the species' range nonetheless have songs that differ markedly.[11]

Behavior and ecology

Canto del Cucarachero

Problems playing this file? See media help.

In North America, the house wren is thought to achieve the highest density in floodplain forests in the western great plains where it uses woodpecker holes as nesting sites. In South and Central America it can be found in virtually any habitat and is, as indicated by its common name, often associated with humans. North American birds migrate to the southern United States and Mexico for winter. Most return to the breeding grounds in late April to May, and leave for winter quarters again around September to early October.[12] These birds forage actively in vegetation. They mainly eat insects such as butterfly larvae, beetles and bugs,[13] also spiders and snails. Southern house wrens rarely attend mixed-species feeding flocks.[14]

Breeding

Audubon's illustration of nesting house wrens

The nesting habits do not seem to differ significantly between the northern and southern house wrens. They usually construct a large cup nest in various sorts of cavities, taking about a week to build. The nest is made from small dry sticks and is usually lined with a variety of different materials. These include: feather, hair, wool, spider cocoons, strips of bark, rootlets, moss, and trash. The male wren finds dry sticks, which he adds to the nest. Once he is done, the female inspects the nest; but if she does not approve of the construction, she will throw any unwanted sticks to the ground. After this process, the female lines the nest. Nest cavities are usually a few meters above ground at most,[15][16] but occasionally on cliffs as high up as 15 m (49 ft) and more at least in southern populations; they may be natural or man-made, often using bird houses.

House wrens are feisty and pugnacious animals considering their tiny size. They are known to occasionally destroy the eggs of other birds nesting in their territory by puncturing the eggshell. Females that sang more songs to conspecifics that were simulated by playback lost fewer eggs to ovicide by other wrens. Female bird song in this species is, therefore, thought to have a function in competition and is not only displayed by males.[17] They are also known to fill up other birds' nests within its territory with sticks to make them unusable.[18]

Adult bringing food for young (note begging calls)
House Wren (Troglodytes aedon) peering out from a nest box
House Wren peering out from a nesting box

Depending on the exact population, the house wrens' clutch is usually between two and eight red-blotched cream-white eggs,[19] weighing about 1.4 g (0.05 oz) each and measuring c.17 and 13.4 mm (0.67 and 0.53 in) at the widest points. Only the female incubates these, for around 12–19 days,[19] and she will every now and then leave the nest for various reasons. While she is on the nest, the male provisions her with food. The young, which like all passerines hatch almost naked and helpless, take another 15–19 days or so to fledge[20]. They are being fed by both parents, and need plenty of food given their tiny size (see also Bergmann's Rule). As the young near fledging, the parents spend much of their time procuring food for them. Brood loss due to predation was found to be light in the Southern Andean Yungas, with predation of nestling young being almost insignificant.[21] Known predators of house wrens at the nest include cats, rats, opossums, woodpeckers, foxes, raccoons, squirrels, snakes and owls. Adults away from the nests can usually avoid these predators although both small hawks and owls occasionally take free-flying adult wrens.[22]

Migrant populations are nesting within 6 weeks of returning from winter quarters, leaving theoretically time for a second brood.[12][23] In the subtropical montane forest of northwestern Argentina and similar habitat, the southern house wren breeds in the rainy summer months from late October to late December.[21]

In Washington, D.C. area, house wren parents made significantly more feeding trips per hour in suburban backyards compared to rural backyards. Yet rural nestlings grew at a faster rate than their suburban counterparts. In addition, suburban parents spent less time brooding (sitting on the nest) compared to rural parents. Such results suggest that suburban backyard habitats offer house wrens food for nestlings that is inferior in either quality or quantity to what rural habitats offer. Food items may, for example, be smaller in suburban habitats, and force adults to make more trips to the box.[24]

In South Temperate Argentina, southern house wrens dispersed more frequently between-seasons than within a season, with females dispersing more often than males. Widowed and single males dispersed more frequently than paired males, whilst within-season divorce increased the breeding success of females but not males.[25]

Conservation status

Turnaround video of a Martinique house wren specimen, Naturalis Biodiversity Center

The house wren may have been displaced somewhat in some northern parts of its range by the introduction of the house sparrow, but is still common and widespread throughout most of the Americas. It is not considered threatened by the IUCN,[1] though this would certainly not hold true for several of the island population if they turn out to be true species.

Some taxa, especially from the Lesser Antilles, are rare and highly endangered or possibly already extinct. Several factors seem to have contributed to a varying degree to the decline of these birds, namely habitat destruction, predation by introduced mongooses, and hurricanes:

  • Martinique house wren, Troglodytes aedon martinicensis) – Martinique, apparently extinct (c.1890)[8]
  • Guadeloupe house wren, Troglodytes aedon guadeloupensisGuadeloupe, possibly extinct (late 20th century?)[8]
  • Saint Lucia house wren, Troglodytes aedon mesoleucusSaint Lucia, believed extinct by the 1970s, subsequently rediscovered but still precariously rare[8]

The Saint Vincent house wren (Troglodytes aedon musicus) of Saint Vincent was close to extinction in the mid-late 20th century; it has since recovered and today is not uncommon.[8]

As remarked above, these are variously placed in T. musculus if that is considered distinct, or as one or several distinct species.

In culture

John James Audubon illustrates the house wren in Birds of America (published, London 1827–38) as Plate 83. The image was engraved and colored by the Robert Havell, London workshops. The limited 1985 edition by Audubon is available for purchase at the New York History Society.[26]

Troglodytes Aedon was one of the two pets of King Friday the XIII in Mister Rogers' Neighborhood. Trog, as the King called him, was a wooden wren on a stick, and Trog had his own song. King Friday's other pet was a mockingbird (a wooden mockingbird on a stick) named Mimus Polyglottos (see Neighborhood of Make-Believe).

Brazilian footballer Garrincha earned his nickname from one of the names the house wren has in Rio de Janeiro.[27]

References

  1. ^ a b BirdLife International (2017) [amended version of 2016 assessment]. "Troglodytes aedon". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2017: e.T103886826A111242743. Retrieved 7 April 2021.
  2. ^ a b Brewer, David & Sean McMinn (2001). Wrens, Dippers, and Thrashers: A Guide to the Wrens, Dippers, and Thrashers of the World. Yale University Press. ISBN 978-0300090598.
  3. ^ Vieillot, Louis Jean Pierre (1807). Histoire naturelle des oiseaux de l'Amérique Septentrionale : contenant un grand nombre d'espèces décrites ou figurées pour la première fois (in French). Vol. 2. Paris: Chez Desray. p. 52–55, Plate 107. Although the title page bears the year 1807, the volume was not publish until 1809. See: Dickinson, E.C.; Overstreet, L.K.; Dowsett, R.J.; Bruce, M.D. (2011). Priority! The Dating of Scientific Names in Ornithology: a Directory to the literature and its reviewers. Northampton, UK: Aves Press. p. 157. ISBN 978-0-9568611-1-5.
  4. ^ Jobling, James A. (2010). The Helm Dictionary of Scientific Bird Names. London: Christopher Helm. p. 32. ISBN 978-1-4081-2501-4.
  5. ^ Oberholser, Harry C. (1934). "A revision of the North American House Wrens" (PDF). Ohio Journal of Science. 34 (2): 86–96 [87].
  6. ^ Mayr, Ernst; Greenway, James C. Jr, eds. (1960). Check-list of Birds of the World. Vol. 9. Cambridge, Massachusetts: Museum of Comparative Zoology. p. 422.
  7. ^ a b Gill, Frank; Donsker, David; Rasmussen, Pamela, eds. (January 2022). "Dapple-throats, sugarbirds, fairy-bluebirds, kinglets, hyliotas, wrens & gnatcatchers". IOC World Bird List Version 12.1. International Ornithologists' Union. Retrieved 28 May 2022.
  8. ^ a b c d e f VanderGaast, Jay & Jaramillo, Alvaro (2005). Field Guides Incorporated Trip List – Lesser Antilles April 9, 2005 to April 23, 2005 Archived April 8, 2008, at the Wayback Machine.
  9. ^ House Wren, Life History, Cornell Lab of Ornithology. Allaboutbirds.org. Retrieved on 2013-03-18.
  10. ^ Peterson, Roger Tory (1947). A Field Guide to the Birds: Eastern Land and Water Birds, Houghton Mifflin Co., Boston, p. 121.
  11. ^ Brumfield, Robb T.; Capparella, A. P. (July 1996). "Genetic Differentiation and Taxonomy in the House Wren Species Group" (PDF). The Condor. 98 (3): 547–556. doi:10.2307/1369567. JSTOR 1369567.
  12. ^ a b Ohio Ornithological Society (2004). Annotated Ohio state checklist Archived 2004-07-18 at the Wayback Machine
  13. ^ "Troglodytes aedon (House wren)".
  14. ^ Machado, C.G. (1999). A composição dos bandos mistos de aves na Mata Atlântica da Serra de Paranapiacaba, no sudeste brasileiro [Mixed flocks of birds in Atlantic Rain Forest in Serra de Paranapiacaba, southeastern Brazil]. Revista Brasileira de Biologia 59(1): 75–85 [Portuguese with English abstract]. doi:10.1590/S0034-71081999000100010
  15. ^ Jean-Claude Belles-Isles and Jaroslav Picman (1986). "Nesting Losses and Nest Site Preferences in House Wrens" (PDF). The University of New Mexico.
  16. ^ McCabe, Robert A. (1965). "Nest Construction by House Wrens" (PDF). The University of New Mexico.
  17. ^ Krieg, CA; Getty, T (2016). "Not just for males: females use song against male and female rivals in a temperate zone songbird". Animal Behaviour. 113: 39–47. doi:10.1016/j.anbehav.2015.12.019.
  18. ^ Renkl, Margaret (July 2016). "Red in Beak and Claw". The New York Times.
  19. ^ a b Kroodsma, D.E. & Brewer, D. (2005). Troglodytidae. pp.356–447 in: del Hoyo, J.; Elliott, A. & Christie, D.A. (2005). Handbook of the Birds of the World. Vol. 10. Cuckoo-shrikes to Thrushes. Lynx Edicions, Barcelona. ISBN 84-87334-72-5
  20. ^ "Wren (Troglodytes troglodytes)". Garden Bird - Quality Bird Food Supplier. 14 March 2017.
  21. ^ a b Auer, Sonya K.; Bassar, Ronald D.; Fontaine, Joseph J.; Martin, Thomas E. (2007). "Breeding biology of passerines in a subtropical montane forest in Northwestern Argentina". Condor. 109 (2): 321–333. doi:10.1650/0010-5422(2007)109[321:BBOPIA]2.0.CO;2. S2CID 3675989.
  22. ^ Brown, J. (2001). Troglodytes aedon, Animal Diversity Web. Accessed March 18, 2013.
  23. ^ Henninger, W.F. (1906). "A preliminary list of the birds of Seneca County, Ohio" (PDF). Wilson Bulletin. 18 (2): 47–60.
  24. ^ Newhouse, M.; Marra, P. P. & Johnson, L. S. (2008). "Reproductive Success of House Wrens in Suburban and Rural Land-Use Areas" (PDF). The Wilson Journal of Ornithology. 120: 99–104. doi:10.1676/06-156.1. S2CID 56553553. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2013-04-23.
  25. ^ Carro, M. E.; Llambías, P. E.; Fernández, G. J. (2017). "Mate and territory availability affect breeding dispersal and divorce in a resident Southern House Wren Troglodytes aedon musculus population". Ibis. 159 (1): 168–179. doi:10.1111/ibi.12438.
  26. ^ "House Wren Princeton Print". New-York Historical Society NYHistory Store. Retrieved 2019-01-17.
  27. ^ Castro, Ruy (1995). Estrela Solitária: um Brasileiro Chamado Garrincha (in Portuguese). Companhia das Letras. p. 28. ISBN 978-8571644939.
license
cc-by-sa-3.0
copyright
Wikipedia authors and editors
original
visit source
partner site
wikipedia EN

House wren: Brief Summary

provided by wikipedia EN

The house wren (Troglodytes aedon) is a very small bird of the wren family, Troglodytidae. It occurs from Canada to southernmost South America, and is thus the most widely distributed native bird in the Americas. It occurs in most suburban areas in its range and it is the single most common wren. Its taxonomy is highly complex and some subspecies groups are often considered separate species. The name troglodytes means "hole dweller", and is a reference to the bird's tendency to disappear into crevices when hunting insects or to seek shelter.

license
cc-by-sa-3.0
copyright
Wikipedia authors and editors
original
visit source
partner site
wikipedia EN