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Showing posts with label EURASIAN WREN (Troglodytes troglodytes). Show all posts
Showing posts with label EURASIAN WREN (Troglodytes troglodytes). Show all posts

Thursday, 24 July 2025

24-7-2025 FOTA WILDLIFE PARK COBH, IRELAND - EURASIAN WREN (Troglodytes troglodytes)


 The Eurasian wren (Troglodytes troglodytes), also known as the northern wren, is a diminutive bird, the sole representative of the wren family Troglodytidae found across Eurasia and Africa's Maghreb region. In Anglophone Europe, it is often simply referred to as the wren. This bird is characterized by its very short tail, typically held erect, a short neck, and a relatively long, thin bill. Its upperparts are russet brown, while the underparts are a paler buff-brown, complemented by a cream buff supercilium. Both sexes exhibit similar plumage.

The Eurasian wren can be identified by its compact, robust body, rounded wings, and notably short tail. It measures approximately 9 to 10 cm in length with a wingspan ranging from 13 to 17 cm, and weighs around 10 g. The plumage varies geographically, with some isolated populations exhibiting distinct coloration.


The Eurasian wren occupies a wide range of habitats, including cultivated and uncultivated areas with bushes and low ground cover, such as gardens, hedgerows, thickets, plantations, woodland, and reed beds. It is also found in more open spaces with bramble clumps or gorse, rough pastures, moorland, boulder-strewn slopes, rocky coasts, and sea cliffs.

This Palearctic species is widespread, with the nominate race breeding in Europe up to the northern latitudes of Norway and Sweden, and extending south to Spain, France, Italy, and southern Russia. It also breeds in Western Asia as far east as Syria and is represented by various subspecies across its range, including isolated island populations.

The Eurasian wren is a ceaselessly active forager, darting about in search of insects among dense vegetation or within crevices. It is known for its quick, jerky movements and propensity to stay close to the ground, often being flushed from under overhangs or banks. The wren may occasionally ascend to higher canopies but generally prefers lower strata near the ground.

The wren's call is a sharp "tic-tic-tic," accelerating and more continuous than that of a robin. When agitated, it emits a churr reminiscent of clockwork running down. Its song is a melodious cascade, surprisingly powerful for the bird's size. The male's song consists of tinkling trills and clear notes, sometimes delivered from an exposed perch.

The Eurasian wren is highly polygynous, with males building multiple nests within their territories. The female selects one and lines it with feathers. Nesting sites vary from holes in walls or trees to dense vegetation. Clutches typically consist of five to six eggs, which are incubated solely by the female. The young are fed predominantly on insects and spiders.


The Eurasian wren can be confused with similar-sized birds with short tails, but its distinctive behavior, habitat preferences, and vocalizations usually allow for accurate identification.

The diet is primarily composed of insects, particularly the larvae of butterflies, moths, beetles, flies, caddisflies, and aphids. Spiders and some seeds are also consumed. The young are mainly fed moth larvae, including those of the cabbage moth and crane fly.

The Eurasian wren is classified as Least Concern by the IUCN, indicating it is not currently at significant risk of widespread decline.

The wren holds a place of honor in European folklore as the "king of the birds" and has been featured in various cultural depictions, including nursery rhymes, legends, and on postage stamps and coins.

Tuesday, 15 July 2025

15-7-2025 AMSTERDAM ZOO, HOLLAND - EURASIAN WREN (Troglodytes troglodytes)


The Eurasian wren (Troglodytes troglodytes), also known as the northern wren, is a diminutive bird, the sole representative of the wren family Troglodytidae found across Eurasia and Africa's Maghreb region. In Anglophone Europe, it is often simply referred to as the wren. This bird is characterized by its very short tail, typically held erect, a short neck, and a relatively long, thin bill. Its upperparts are russet brown, while the underparts are a paler buff-brown, complemented by a cream buff supercilium. Both sexes exhibit similar plumage.

The Eurasian wren can be identified by its compact, robust body, rounded wings, and notably short tail. It measures approximately 9 to 10 cm in length with a wingspan ranging from 13 to 17 cm, and weighs around 10 g. The plumage varies geographically, with some isolated populations exhibiting distinct coloration.

The Eurasian wren occupies a wide range of habitats, including cultivated and uncultivated areas with bushes and low ground cover, such as gardens, hedgerows, thickets, plantations, woodland, and reed beds. It is also found in more open spaces with bramble clumps or gorse, rough pastures, moorland, boulder-strewn slopes, rocky coasts, and sea cliffs.

This Palearctic species is widespread, with the nominate race breeding in Europe up to the northern latitudes of Norway and Sweden, and extending south to Spain, France, Italy, and southern Russia. It also breeds in Western Asia as far east as Syria and is represented by various subspecies across its range, including isolated island populations.

The Eurasian wren is a ceaselessly active forager, darting about in search of insects among dense vegetation or within crevices. It is known for its quick, jerky movements and propensity to stay close to the ground, often being flushed from under overhangs or banks. The wren may occasionally ascend to higher canopies but generally prefers lower strata near the ground.

Sunday, 6 October 2024

6-10-2024 LOUGHILL, IRELAND - EURASIAN WREN (Troglodytes troglodytes)


The Eurasian wren (Troglodytes troglodytes) 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.

The species was once lumped with Troglodytes hiemalis of eastern North America and Troglodytes pacificus of western North America as the winter wren. The Eurasian wren occurs in Europe and across the Palearctic – including a belt of Asia from northern Iran and Afghanistan across to Japan. It is migratory in only the northern parts of its range. It is also highly polygynous, an unusual mating system for passerines.

Tuesday, 13 June 2023

13-6-2023 MADRID ZOO PARK, ESPANA - EURASIAN WREN (Troglodytes troglodytes)


 The Eurasian wren (Troglodytes troglodytes) 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.

The species was once lumped with Troglodytes hiemalis of eastern North America and Troglodytes pacificus of western North America as the winter wren. The Eurasian wren occurs in Europe and across the Palearctic – including a belt of Asia from northern Iran and Afghanistan across to Japan. It is migratory in only the northern parts of its range. It is also highly polygynous, an unusual mating system for passerines.

Tuesday, 24 September 2019

24-9-2019 GALISTEO, CACERAS - EURASIAN WREN (Troglodytes troglodytes)


The Eurasian wren (Troglodytes troglodytes) 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.

The species was once lumped with Troglodytes hiemalis of eastern North America and Troglodytes pacificus of western North America as the winter wren. The Eurasian wren occurs in Europe and across the Palearctic – including a belt of Asia from northern Iran and Afghanistan across to Japan. It is migratory in only the northern parts of its range. It is also highly polygynous, an unusual mating system for passerines.


The Eurasian wren is a plump, sturdy bird with rounded wings and a short tail, which is usually held cocked up. The adult bird is 9 to 10 cm (3.5 to 3.9 in) in length and has a wingspan of 13–17 cm (5.1–6.7 in).[18] It weighs around 10 g (0.35 oz).[19] It is rufous brown above, greyer beneath, and indistinctly barred with darker brown and grey, even on the wings and tail. The bill is dark brown and the legs are pale brown, the feet having strong claws and a large hind toe. Young birds are less distinctly barred and have mottled underparts. The plumage is subject to considerable variation, and where populations have been isolated, the variation has become fixed in one minor form or another.

Wednesday, 10 May 2017

9-5-2017 RONDA, ANDALUSIA - EURASIAN WREN (Troglodytes troglodytes)


The Eurasian wren (Troglodytes troglodytes) 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.


The species was once lumped with Troglodytes hiemalis of eastern North America and Troglodytes pacificus of western North America as the winter wren. The Eurasian wren occurs in Europe and across the Palearctic – including a belt of Asia from northern Iran and Afghanistan across to Japan. It is migratory in only the northern parts of its range. It is also highly polygynous, an unusual mating system for passerines.


The Eurasian wren was described by the Swedish naturalist Carl Linnaeus in 1758 in the tenth edition of his Systema Naturae under the binomial name Motacilla troglodytes. The specific epithet is from the Ancient Greek trōglodutēs meaning "cave-dweller". In 1555 the German naturalist Conrad Gessner had used the Latin name Passer troglodyte for the Eurasian wren in his Historiae animalium. The species is now placed in the genus Troglodytes that was introduced by the French ornithologist Louis Pierre Vieillot in 1809.


The Eurasian wren was formerly considered conspecific with two North American species: the winter wren (Troglodytes hiemalis) and the Pacific wren (Troglodytes pacificus). Some ornithologists place the Eurasian wren, the winter wren and the Pacific wren in a separate genus Nannus that was introduced by the Swedish naturalist Gustaf Johan Billberg in 1828 with the Eurasian wren as the type species.


Common but inconspicuous in woodland habitats with dense undergrowth, gardens, farmland hedgerows, heathland and coastal cliffs. It usually sings from a fairly exposed perch, but on other occasions it behaves like a mouse, moving between the brambles and undergrowth. It is easily identified by its small size, brown plumage, and the habit of keeping its tail elevated. It is heard more frequently than it is seen. The song is powerful and lively with a diverse series of repeating trills and chirps.

Saturday, 1 October 2016

1-10-2016 CHELMSFORD, ESSEX - EURASIAN WREN (Troglodytes troglodytes)


The Eurasian wren is a plump, sturdy bird with rounded wings and a short tail, which is usually held cocked up. The adult bird is 9 to 10 cm (3.5 to 3.9 in) in length and has a wingspan of 13–17 cm (5.1–6.7 in).[18] It weighs around 10 g (0.35 oz). It is rufous brown above, greyer beneath, and indistinctly barred with darker brown and grey, even on the wings and tail. The bill is dark brown and the legs are pale brown, the feet having strong claws and a large hind toe. Young birds are less distinctly barred and have mottled underparts. The plumage is subject to considerable variation, and where populations have been isolated, the variation has become fixed in one minor form or another.