Shetland wren | |
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Scientific classification | |
Kingdom: | Animalia |
Phylum: | Chordata |
Class: | Aves |
Order: | Passeriformes |
Family: | Troglodytidae |
Genus: | Troglodytes |
Species: | |
Subspecies: | T. t. zetlandicus |
Trinomial name | |
Troglodytes troglodytes zetlandicus Hartert, 1910 |
The Shetland wren (Troglodytes troglodytes zetlandicus) is a small passerine bird in the wren family. It is a subspecies of the Eurasian wren endemic to the Shetland archipelago of Scotland, with the exception of Fair Isle which has its own endemic subspecies, the Fair Isle wren. The Shetland wren is distinguished by its darker and more rufous-brown colouring from the mainland form, with a heavily barred underside, the barring extending from belly to breast. The bill is stouter and longer and it has stronger legs. [1]
Adult birds are about 9 to 11 cm (3.5 to 4.3 in) and the sexes are similar in this species. As compared to the Eurasian wren (Troglodytes troglodytes), it is much darker in colouration, especially the crown and nape which are nearly black. The barring on the upper parts is blacker and the markings on the lores and ear coverts are darker brown. The throat and breast are brownish-buff rather than white and the dark speckling on the belly extends further up the flanks and breast. The beak is dark brown and the sturdy legs are mid-brown. [2] The song is rather louder and more varied than the Eurasian wren, perhaps to make it more audible on the boulder beaches where it mainly breeds. [3]
This wren is endemic to the Shetland Islands. It is found on and near cliffs and rocky shores, around crofts and walls. [2] The main breeding habitat of Shetland wrens is boulder beaches, though when population levels increase some birds will nest further inland, in bushes or beside streams. [3]
An estimate of the population, dating back to the start of the 21st century, was of 1500–3000 breeding pairs. [3]
Wrens are a family of brown passerine birds in the predominantly New World family Troglodytidae. The family includes 88 species divided into 19 genera. Only the Eurasian wren occurs in the Old World, where, in Anglophone regions, it 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).
The fieldfare is a member of the thrush family Turdidae. It breeds in woodland and scrub in northern Europe and across the Palearctic. It is strongly migratory, with many northern birds moving south during the winter. It is a very rare breeder in the British Isles, but winters in large numbers in the United Kingdom, Southern Europe, North Africa and the Middle East. It is omnivorous, eating a wide range of molluscs, insects and earthworms in the summer, and berries, grain and seeds in the winter.
The greater white-fronted goose is a species of goose related to the smaller lesser white-fronted goose. It is named for the patch of white feathers bordering the base of its bill, in fact albifrons comes from the Latin albus "white" and frons "forehead". In Europe it has been known as the white-fronted goose; in North America it is known as the greater white-fronted goose, and this name is also increasingly adopted internationally. Even more distinctive are the salt-and-pepper markings on the breast of adult birds, which is why the goose is colloquially called the "specklebelly" in North America.
The Eurasian bittern or great bittern is a wading bird in the bittern subfamily (Botaurinae) of the heron family Ardeidae. There are two subspecies, the northern race breeding in parts of Europe and across the Palearctic, as well as on the northern coast of Africa, while the southern race is endemic to parts of southern Africa. It is a secretive bird, seldom seen in the open as it prefers to skulk in reed beds and thick vegetation near water bodies. Its presence is apparent in the spring, when the booming call of the male during the breeding season can be heard. It feeds on fish, small mammals, fledgling birds, amphibians, crustaceans and insects.
The European rock pipit, or just rock pipit, is a species of small passerine bird that breeds in western Europe on rocky coasts. It has streaked greyish-brown upperparts and buff underparts, and is similar in appearance to other European pipits. There are three subspecies, of which only the Fennoscandian form is migratory, wintering in shoreline habitats further south in Europe. The European rock pipit is territorial at least in the breeding season, and year-round where it is resident. Males will sometimes enter an adjacent territory to assist the resident in repelling an intruder, behaviour only otherwise known from the African fiddler crab.
The sharp-shinned hawk is a small hawk, with males being the smallest hawks in the United States and Canada, but with the species averaging larger than some Neotropical species, such as the tiny hawk. The taxonomy is far from resolved, with some authorities considering the southern taxa to represent three separate species: white-breasted hawk, plain-breasted hawk, and rufous-thighed hawk. The American Ornithological Society keeps all four variations conspecific.
The house wren is a very small songbird 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 bird's tendency to disappear into crevices when hunting insects or to seek shelter.
The brant or brent goose is a small goose of the genus Branta. There are three subspecies, all of which winter along temperate-zone sea-coasts and breed on the high-Arctic tundra.
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.
The ochraceous wren is a small songbird of the wren family. It is a resident breeding species in Costa Rica, Panama, and Colombia.
Cobb's wren is a fairly small (12-13.5 cm) wren which is endemic to the Falkland Islands. It was formerly classified as a subspecies of the house wren but is now commonly considered to be a separate species due to differences in plumage, voice, ecology and morphology.
The tawny-faced quail is a species of bird in the family Odontophoridae, the New World quail. It is found in Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Honduras, Nicaragua, and Panama.
The Chilean seaside cinclodes is a species of bird in the family Furnariidae. It is endemic to rocky shorelines in Chile. Some authorities include the Peruvian seaside cinclodes as a subspecies while others list it as a separate species. The ranges of the two do not overlap.
The southern nightingale-wren, also known as the scaly-breasted wren, is a species of bird in the family Troglodytidae. It is found in Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Panama, Peru, and Venezuela.
The Santa Marta wren is a species of bird in the family Troglodytidae. It is endemic to Colombia.
The rufous-browed wren is a species of bird in the family Troglodytidae. It is found in Central America from Mexico south into Nicaragua.
The tepui wren is a species of bird in the family Troglodytidae. It is found in Brazil, Guyana, and Venezuela, where it inhabits high tablelands called tepuis.
The St Kilda wren is a small passerine bird in the wren family. It is a distinctive subspecies of the Eurasian wren endemic to the islands of the isolated St Kilda archipelago, in the Atlantic Ocean 64 kilometres (40 mi) west of the Outer Hebrides, Scotland.
The Fair Isle wren is a small passerine bird in the wren family. It is a subspecies of the Eurasian wren endemic to Fair Isle, Shetland, Scotland, an island about halfway between mainland Shetland and Orkney. It was first described by the British ornithologist Kenneth Williamson in 1951.
The Eurasian 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 relative long thin bill. It is russet brown above, paler buff-brown below and has a cream buff supercilium. The sexes are alike.