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Eurasian Wren - BirdForum Opus

Revision as of 16:20, 25 March 2011 by Wintibird (talk | contribs) (split from Winter Wren)
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Troglodytes troglodytes
Photo by Steve Round
Wirral, Cheshire, England, July 2004

Identification

Length is 9-10 cm (3.5 - 4 inches)

  • Mostly brown, in most populations with a reddish tint
  • Small tail (often cocked)
  • Pale buff underside (some populations almost as dark as the back)
  • Prominent pale supercilium
  • Bill slightly down curved
Subspecies troglodytes
Photo by gaviao-real
Netherlands, June 2009

Island populations tends to be larger birds than continental populations. For example in Iceland and the Faroe Islands, wings, legs, and bill are longer than in the UK.

Distribution

In Europe from Iceland to central Scandinavia and south to the Mediterranean.
In Asia, it is widely distributed from north to south in the eastern end, but in central Asia, there is a gap separating those populations from western Asian and European populations.

Taxonomy

Subspecies[4]

Subspecies cypriotes
Photo by lior kislev
Rosh Pina wadi, Galil, Israel, February 2009

Many subspecies have been described:

Subspecies taivanus
Photo by Mark Bruce
Anmashan, Taichung County, Taiwan, December 2008
A high alpine species found in forest undergrowth between 2000m-3400m

Was formerly considered conspecific with Winter Wren and Pacific Wren.

Rice et al in 1999 proposed placing this species in its own genus, Nannus2. Later molecular studies support this classification, because the closest relative of Winter Wren are not other members of the genus Troglodytes but the Marsh and Sedge Wrens3.

Habitat

Can be found in almost any habitat, low down in undergrowth from gardens and woodland to clifftops.

Behaviour

Tends to keep low when flying.

Diet

Forages under dense cover for small insects and spiders

Breeding

The nest is a ball of grass, leaves or other vegetation and may be placed in a bank hole, in thick vegetation or tucked under overhang. The clutch consists of 5-8 white eggs with brownish-red speckles. They are incubated for about 2 weeks and fledge around 16 or 17 days later.

There are usually 2 broods in the season which runs from April to August.

Vocalisation

Call: Hard, dry chit or chiti
Song: Loud (especially given its size) warbling. Can last up to ten seconds.

References

  1. Toews DP, Irwin DE 2008. Mol Ecol. Jun;17(11):2691-705
  2. Rice et al 1999 Condor 101:446-451
  3. Thread in Birdforum Taxonomy forum and references therein.
  4. Clements, JF. 2009. The Clements Checklist of Birds of the World. 6th ed., with updates to December 2009. Ithaca: Cornell Univ. Press. ISBN 978-0801445019.
  5. Bird Watching
  6. 51st supplement to the AOU checklist of North American birds

Recommended Citation

External Links


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