Bewick’s Wren
Bewick's Wren
Thryomanes bewickii
At a Glance
In dry thickets and open woods of the west, this is often a very common bird. Pairs of Bewick's Wrens (pronounced like 'Buick') clamber about actively in the brush, exploring tangles and bark crevices, waving their long tails about, giving harsh scolding notes at any provocation. In the east, this species is far less common, and it has vanished from most of its former range east of the Mississippi River.
All bird guide text and rangemaps adapted from Lives of North American Birds by Kenn Kaufman© 1996, used by permission of Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
Category
Perching Birds, Wrens
IUCN Status
Least Concern
Habitat
Arroyos and Canyons, Desert and Arid Habitats, Fields, Meadows, and Grasslands, Forests and Woodlands, Shrublands, Savannas, and Thickets, Urban and Suburban Habitats
Region
California, Eastern Canada, Great Lakes, Mid Atlantic, Northwest, Plains, Rocky Mountains, Southeast, Southwest, Texas, Western Canada
Behavior
Direct Flight, Flitter
Population
7.900.000
Range & Identification
Migration & Range Maps
Some are present all year in most parts of breeding range, but many depart from northern areas and higher elevations in winter; may be more migratory in east than in west.
Description
5 1/2" (14 cm). White eyebrow; longish tail, often flipped about. Dull brown on back, pale gray below. Eastern birds are somewhat more richly colored, can suggest Carolina Wren, but note white corners of tail, paler underparts.
Size
About the size of a Sparrow
Color
Black, Brown, Gray, White
Wing Shape
Rounded
Tail Shape
Long, Rounded
Songs and Calls
Loud, melodious song with the usual bubbly wren-like warble, also reminiscent of a Song Sparrow.
Call Pattern
Falling, Flat, Undulating
Call Type
Buzz, Chirp/Chip, Flute, Trill, Whistle
Habitat
Thickets, underbrush, gardens. In the west, found in many brushy or wooded habitats at lower elevations, including undergrowth in woods of oak and pine, streamside groves, chaparral, desert washes, suburban areas. In the east (where now scarce), mostly in brushy areas around the edges of woods.
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Behavior
Eggs
5-7, sometimes 4-11. White, with brown and gray blotches often concentrated at larger end. Incubation is probably by female only, about 14 days.
Young
Both parents feed nestlings. Young leave the nest about 2 weeks after hatching.
Feeding Behavior
Forages very actively by climbing and hopping about on trunks, branches, and twigs of trees, probing into bark crevices or gleaning insects from the surface. Also feeds on the ground, flipping over leaves and probing among leaf litter.
Diet
Mostly insects. Feeds on a wide variety of insects, including beetles, ants, wasps, true bugs, caterpillars, grasshoppers, and many others. Also eats many spiders, and occasionally some berries or seeds.
Nesting
Male defends nesting territory by singing; songs of eastern birds quite different from those of the west. Adults sometimes puncture eggs of other birds nesting nearby. Nest site is in any kind of cavity, including natural hollows in trees, old woodpecker holes; also in manmade sites, including nest boxes, holes in buildings, mailboxes, tin cans, and many others. Site is usually less than 20' above the ground. Male may build incomplete "dummy" nests; female probably chooses site and completes one nest for raising young. Nest has a foundation of twigs, leaves, bark strips, and trash, topped with a softer cup of moss, leaves, animal hair, feathers. Sometimes adds bits of snakeskin to nest.
Climate Vulnerability
Conservation Status
In the west, widespread and common, expanding range northward in some areas. East of the Great Plains it is uncommon, localized, and declining. Formerly a common nesting bird east to the Appalachians, it has completely disappeared from most areas east of the Mississippi River during the last few decades. The reasons for this vanishing act are poorly understood.
Climate Threats Facing the Bewick's Wren
Choose a temperature scenario below to see which threats will affect this species as warming increases. The same climate change-driven threats that put birds at risk will affect other wildlife and people, too.