Northern house wren

Last updated

Northern house wren
Troglodytes aedon NPS.jpg
Northern house wren
Bandelier National Monument (New Mexico, US)
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Aves
Order: Passeriformes
Family: Troglodytidae
Genus: Troglodytes
Species:
T. aedon
Binomial name
Troglodytes aedon
Vieillot, 1809

The northern house wren (Troglodytes aedon) is a very small passerine in the wren family Troglodytidae. It found in southern Canada, the USA and Mexico. It occurs in most suburban areas in its range. It formerly included many subspecies resident in South America and in the Caribbean that are now considered as 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.

Contents

Taxonomy

The northern house wren was formally described in 1809 by the French ornithologist Louis Pierre Vieillot under the current binomial name Troglodytes aedon. [2] The specific epithet is from the Ancient Greek aēdōn meaning "nightingale". [3] The type locality was designated as New York City by Harry Oberholser in 1934. [4] [5] An earlier specific name, domestica in the combination Sylvia domestica, was introduced in 1808 by the American ornithologist Alexander Wilson. [6] This was rarely used and in 1998 to conserve the widely used name aedon, the International Commission on Zoological Nomenclature suppressed the specific name domestica for the purposes of the principle of priority. [7] [8]

Four subspecies are recognised: [9]

The following species were formerly considered as subspecies in the house wren complex. The species were split based on the deep genomic divergence and differences in vocalizations and morphology. [9] [10] [11]

Description

Adult northern 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). [12] 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). [13] 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. [14]

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. [15] Birds from the far north and south of the species' range nonetheless have songs that differ markedly. [16]

Behavior and ecology

Gnome-mime-sound-openclipart.svg
House wren
Canto del Cucarachero
Problems playing this file? See media help.

The northern 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. The 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. [17] These birds forage actively in vegetation. They mainly eat insects such as butterfly larvae, beetles and bugs, [18] also spiders and snails. [19] Southern house wrens rarely attend mixed-species feeding flocks. [20]

Breeding

Audubon's illustration of nesting house wrens Troglodytes aedon audubon.jpg
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, [21] [22] but occasionally on cliffs as high up as 15 m (49 ft) and more at least in southern populations[ verification needed ]; they may be natural or man-made, often using bird houses.

Northern 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. [23] They are also known to fill up other birds' nests within its territory with sticks to make them unusable. [24]

House wren removing the contents of a tree swallow nest from a nest box (Tree swallow not shown).
Adult bringing food for young (note begging calls)
House Wren peering out from a nesting box House wren in JBWR (50039).jpg
House Wren peering out from a nesting box

Depending on the exact population, the northern house wrens' clutch is usually between two and eight red-blotched cream-white eggs, [25] 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, [25] 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 [26] . 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. [27] 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. [28]

Migrant populations are nesting within 6 weeks of returning from winter quarters, leaving theoretically time for a second brood. [17] [29] 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. [27]

In Washington, D.C. area, northern 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. [30]

Conservation status

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 North America. It is not considered threatened by the IUCN. [1]

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.

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).

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wren</span> Family of birds

Wrens are a family, Troglodytidae, of small brown passerine birds. The family includes 96 species and is divided into 19 genera. All species are restricted to the New World except for the Eurasian wren that is widely distributed in the Old World. In Anglophone regions, the Eurasian wren is commonly known simply as the "wren", as it is the originator of the name. The name wren has been applied to other, unrelated birds, particularly the New Zealand wrens (Acanthisittidae) and the Australian wrens (Maluridae).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Winter wren</span> Species of bird

The winter wren is a very small North American bird and a member of the mainly New World wren family Troglodytidae. The species contained the congeneric Pacific wren of western North America and Eurasian wren (Troglodytes troglodytes) of Eurasia until they were split in 2010.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Broad-winged hawk</span> Species of bird

The broad-winged hawk is a medium-sized hawk of the genus Buteo. During the summer, some subspecies are distributed over eastern North America, as far west as British Columbia and Texas; they then migrate south to winter in the Neotropics from Mexico south to southern Brazil. Other subspecies are all-year residents on Caribbean islands. As in most raptors, females are slightly larger than males. Broad-winged hawks' wings are relatively short and broad with a tapered, somewhat pointed appearance. The two types of coloration are a dark morph with fewer white areas and a light morph that is more pale overall. Although the broad-winged hawk's numbers are relatively stable, populations are declining in some parts of its breeding range because of forest fragmentation.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Yellow warbler</span> Species of bird

The yellow warbler is a New World warbler species. Yellow warblers are the most widespread species in the diverse genus Setophaga, breeding in almost the whole of North America, the Caribbean, as well as northern South America.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Marsh wren</span> Species of bird

The marsh wren is a small North American songbird of the wren family. It is sometimes called the long-billed marsh wren to distinguish it from the sedge wren, also known as the short-billed marsh wren.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Carolina wren</span> Species of bird

The Carolina wren is a common species of wren that is a resident in the Eastern United States, the extreme south of Ontario, Canada, and the extreme northeast of Mexico. Severe winters restrict the northern limits of their range, while favorable weather conditions lead to a northward extension of their breeding range. Their preferred habitat is in dense cover in forest, farm edges, and suburban areas. This wren is the state bird of South Carolina.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bewick's wren</span> Species of bird

The Bewick's wren is a wren native to North America. It is the only species placed in the genus Thryomanes. At about 14 cm (5.5 in) long, it is grey-brown above, white below, with a long white eyebrow. While similar in appearance to the Carolina wren, it has a long tail that is tipped in white. The song is loud and melodious, much like the song of other wrens. It lives in thickets, brush piles and hedgerows, open woodlands and scrubby areas, often near streams. It eats insects and spiders, which it gleans from vegetation or finds on the ground.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Vermilion flycatcher</span> Species of bird in the Americas

The vermilion flycatcher is a small passerine bird in the tyrant flycatcher family found throughout South America and southern North America. It is a striking exception among the generally drab Tyrannidae due to its vermilion-red coloration. The males have bright red crowns, chests, and underparts, with brownish wings and tails. Females lack the vivid red coloration and can be hard to identify—they may be confused for the Say's phoebe. The vermilion flycatcher's song is a pit pit pit pidddrrrreeedrr, which is variable and important in establishing a territory. Riparian habitats and semi-open environments are preferred. As aerial insectivores, they catch their prey while flying. Their several months-long molt begins in summer.

<i>Troglodytes</i> (bird) Genus of birds

Troglodytes is a genus of small passerine birds in the wren family. These wrens are around 11–13 centimetres (4.3–5.1 in) long. They are brownish above and somewhat paler below, with strong legs. Their short rounded wings and frequently cocked tail have a dark barred pattern. The flight is direct and buzzing.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sprague's pipit</span> Species of bird

Sprague's pipit is a small songbird (passerine) in the family Motacillidae that breeds in the short- and mixed-grass prairies of North America. Migratory, it spends the winters in the southwestern United States and northern Mexico. Sprague's pipits are unusual among songbirds in that they sing high in the sky, somewhat like a goldfinch or skylark. It is more often identified by its distinctive descending song heard from above than by being seen on the ground. Males and females are cryptically coloured and similar in appearance; they are a buffy brown with darker streaking, slender bills and pinkish to yellow legs. Sprague's pipit summer habitat is primarily native grasslands in the north central prairies of the United States and Canada. The species was named after the botanical illustrator Isaac Sprague.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">White-rumped swallow</span> Species of bird

The white-rumped swallow is a species of bird in the family Hirundinidae. First described and given its binomial name by French ornithologist Louis Pierre Vieillot in 1817, it was for many years considered a subspecies of the Chilean swallow. The species is monotypic with no known population variations. It has a white supraloral streak, or streak above its lores, which can be used to differentiate it from the Chilean swallow. The lores, ear coverts, tail, and wings are black, with white tips on the inner secondaries, tertials, and greater coverts of the wings. The rest of the upperparts are a glossy blue. Its underparts and underwing-coverts are white, in addition to the rump, as the name suggests. The sexes are similar, and the juvenile is duller and browner with a dusky breast.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rufous-browed wren</span> Species of bird

The rufous-browed wren is a species of bird in the family Troglodytidae. It is found in Central America from Mexico south into Nicaragua.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cactus wren</span> Species of bird found in North America

The cactus wren is a species of wren that is endemic to the deserts of the southwestern United States and northern and central Mexico. It is the state bird of Arizona, and the largest wren in the United States. Its plumage is brown, with black and white spots as markings. It has a distinctive white eyebrow that sweeps to the nape of the neck. The chest is white, whereas the underparts are cinnamon-buff colored. Both sexes appear similar. The tail, as well as flight feathers, are barred in black and white. Their song is a loud raspy chirrup; akin in the description of some ornithologists to the sound of a car engine that will not start. It is well-adapted to its native desert environment, and the birds can meet their water needs from their diet which consists chiefly of insects, but also of some plant matter. The cactus wren is a poor flier and generally forages for food on the ground. Ornithologists generally recognize seven subspecies, with the exact taxonomy under dispute.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Eurasian wren</span> Species of bird

The Eurasian wren or northern wren is a very small insectivorous bird, and the only member of the wren family Troglodytidae found in Eurasia and Africa (Maghreb). In Anglophone Europe, it is commonly known simply as the wren. It has a very short tail which is often held erect, a short neck and a relatively long thin bill. It is russet brown above, paler buff-brown below and has a cream buff supercilium. The sexes are alike.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Southern house wren</span> Species of bird

The southern house wren is a very small passerine bird in the wren family Troglodytidae. It is found from southern Mexico to southern Chile and southern Argentina. 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. It was formerly considered to be conspecific with the northern house wren.

The Cozumel wren is a very small passerine bird in the wren family Troglodytidae that is endemic to the small island of Cozumel off the eastern coast of Mexico. 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. It was formerly considered to be conspecific with the northern house wren.

The Kalinago wren is a very small passerine bird in the wren family Troglodytidae that is found on the Caribbean island of Dominica. It was formerly also found on the islands of Martinique and Guadeloupe. 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. It was formerly considered to be conspecific with the house wren, now renamed the northern house wren.

The St. Lucia wren is a very small passerine bird in the wren family Troglodytidae that is found on the Caribbean island of Saint Lucia. 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. It was formerly considered to be conspecific with the house wren, now renamed the northern house wren.

The St. Vincent wren is a very small passerine bird in the wren family Troglodytidae that is found on the Caribbean island of Saint Vincent. 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. It was formerly considered to be conspecific with the house wren, now renamed the northern house wren.

The Grenada wren is a very small passerine bird in the wren family Troglodytidae that is found on the Caribbean island of Grenada. 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. It was formerly considered to be conspecific with the house wren, now renamed the northern house wren.

References

  1. 1 2 BirdLife International (2017) [amended version of 2016 assessment]. "Troglodytes aedon". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species . 2017: e.T103886826A111242743. Retrieved 7 April 2021.
  2. ↑ Vieillot, Louis 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. pp. 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.
  3. ↑ Jobling, James A. (2010). The Helm Dictionary of Scientific Bird Names. London: Christopher Helm. p. 32. ISBN   978-1-4081-2501-4.
  4. ↑ Oberholser, Harry C. (1934). "A revision of the North American House Wrens" (PDF). Ohio Journal of Science. 34 (2): 86–96 [87].
  5. ↑ 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.
  6. ↑ Wilson, Alexander (1808). American Ornithology; or, the Natural History of the Birds of the United States: Illustrated with Plates Engraved and Colored from Original drawings taken from Nature. Vol. 1. Philadelphia: Bradford and Inskeep. p. 129.
  7. ↑ Banks, Richard C.; Browning, M. Ralph (1995). "Comments on the status of revived old names for some North American birds". The Auk. 112 (3): 633-648 [638]. doi: 10.1093/auk/112.3.633 .
  8. ↑ Commission of the International Code of Zoological Nomenclature (1998). "Opinion 1893 (Case 2969) Bombycilla cedrorum Vieillot, (1808) and Troglodytes aedon Vieillot, (1809) (Aves, Passeriformes): specific names conserved". Bulletin of Zoological Nomenclature. 55 (1): 62–63.
  9. 1 2 Gill, Frank; Donsker, David; Rasmussen, Pamela, eds. (August 2024). "Dapple-throats, sugarbirds, fairy-bluebirds, kinglets, hyliotas, wrens & gnatcatchers". IOC World Bird List Version 14.2. International Ornithologists' Union. Retrieved 8 October 2024.
  10. ↑ Klicka, J.; Epperly, K.; Smith, B.T.; Spellman, G.M.; Chaves, J.A.; Escalante, P.; Witt, C.C.; Canales-del-Castillo, R.; Zink, R.M. (2023). "Lineage diversity in a widely distributed New World passerine bird, the House Wren". Ornithology. 140 (3): ukad018. doi: 10.1093/ornithology/ukad018 .
  11. ↑ Chesser, R.T.; Billerman, S.M.; Burns, K.J.; Cicero, C.; Dunn, J.L.; Hernández-Baños, B.E.; Jiménez, R.A.; Johnson, O.; Kratter, A.W.; Mason, N.A.; Rasmussen, P.C.; Remsen, J.V.J. (2024). "Sixty-fifth Supplement to the American Ornithological Society's Check-list of North American Birds". Ornithology. 141 (3): ukae019. doi: 10.1093/ornithology/ukae019 .
  12. ↑ House Wren, Life History, Cornell Lab of Ornithology. Allaboutbirds.org. Retrieved on 2013-03-18.
  13. ↑ 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.
  14. ↑ Peterson, Roger Tory (1947). A Field Guide to the Birds: Eastern Land and Water Birds, Houghton Mifflin Co., Boston, p. 121.
  15. ↑ 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 .
  16. ↑ 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.
  17. 1 2 Ohio Ornithological Society (2004). Annotated Ohio state checklist Archived 2004-07-18 at the Wayback Machine
  18. ↑ "Troglodytes aedon (House wren)". Animal Diversity Web .
  19. ↑ "House Wren | Audubon Field Guide" . Retrieved 2024-04-20.
  20. ↑ 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 Biologia59(1): 75–85 [Portuguese with English abstract]. doi:10.1590/S0034-71081999000100010
  21. ↑ Jean-Claude Belles-Isles and Jaroslav Picman (1986). "Nesting Losses and Nest Site Preferences in House Wrens" (PDF). The University of New Mexico.
  22. ↑ McCabe, Robert A. (1965). "Nest Construction by House Wrens" (PDF). The University of New Mexico.
  23. ↑ 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 .
  24. ↑ Renkl, Margaret (July 2016). "Red in Beak and Claw". The New York Times.
  25. 1 2 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
  26. ↑ "Wren (Troglodytes troglodytes)". Garden Bird - Quality Bird Food Supplier. 14 March 2017.
  27. 1 2 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.
  28. ↑ Brown, J. (2001). Troglodytes aedon, Animal Diversity Web. Accessed March 18, 2013.
  29. ↑ Henninger, W.F. (1906). "A preliminary list of the birds of Seneca County, Ohio" (PDF). Wilson Bulletin . 18 (2): 47–60.
  30. ↑ 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.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.