Shetland wren

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Shetland wren
Scientific classification Red Pencil Icon.png
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]

Contents

Description

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]

Distribution and habitat

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]

Status

An estimate of the population, dating back to the start of the 21st century, was of 1500–3000 breeding pairs. [3]

Related Research Articles

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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).

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Greater white-fronted goose Species of bird

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Eurasian bittern Species of bird

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.

European rock pipit Small passerine bird that breeds in western Europe

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House wren Species of bird

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Brant (goose) Species of bird

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.

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

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Cobbs wren Species of bird

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Tawny-faced quail Species of bird

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Chilean seaside cinclodes Species of bird

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.

Southern nightingale-wren Species of bird

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.

Santa Marta wren Species of bird

The Santa Marta wren is a species of bird in the family Troglodytidae. It is endemic to Colombia.

Rufous-browed wren 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.

Tepui wren Species of bird

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.

St Kilda wren Subspecies of bird

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.

Eurasian wren Species of bird

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.

References

  1. McGowan, R.Y.; Clugston, D.L.; & Forrester, R.W. (2003). Scotland's endemic subspecies. Scottish Birds24: 18–35.
  2. 1 2 Witherby, Harry Forbes; Jourdain, F.C.R.; Ticehurst, Norman F.; Tucker, Bernard W. (1948). The Handbook of British Birds: Warblers to Owls. H.F. & G. Witherby Ltd. pp. 218–219.
  3. 1 2 3 "Shetland Wren". Nature in Shetland. Retrieved 4 March 2020.