Recognizing Wrens
Look for these features to be sure your bird is in the
Wren Family:
- Tiny body (except the Cactus Wren, which is as big as a Red-winged
Blackbird and lives in southwestern desert).
- Tail is short, and bird has a habit of cocking it up.
- Mousy brown plumage.
- Beautiful song--can often be described as "bubbly" or "rich."
There are 9 species of wrens that live north of the Mexican border. Here
are three of the most common ones.
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Winter Wren
Copyright by Jeff R. Wilson |
Carolina Wren
Copyright by Jeff R. Wilson |
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Try This: Field Guide
Research
Look up these wrens in a field guide. See what other species belong
to the wren family. Does the field guide give other hints to help you
identify them? Look at the range maps in the field guide. Which
species could be found in your province or state?
Try This! Journaling Questions
- If you could classify birds any way you wanted,
would you place wrens in the same family as or close to any other birds?
Why or why not?
- Do you like the way birds are organized in your
field guide? How would you change the book's organization if you were
a field guide author? What would you keep the same?
Copyright 2003 Journey North. All Rights Reserved.
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