Pacific Wren

Overview

The Troglodytes pacificus is a very small North American bird belonging to the wren family. It was formerly classified as part of the northern wren but is now recognised as a distinct species following genetic and song analyses showing reproductive isolation.

Identification

• Rufous brown plumage above, richly coloured below and barred with darker brown and dusky, including on the wings and tail.
• Dark brown bill and pale brown legs.
• Characterised by a long and exuberant song used for identification in the field.
• Young birds are less distinctly barred than adults.

Habitat

Breeds along the Pacific coast from Alaska to California and inland as far as Wyoming and the Black Hills of South Dakota, typically nesting in coniferous forests of spruce and fir. It migrates through and winters across the western half of the United States and Canada.

Diet

Primarily insectivorous, foraging on substrates such as bark and fallen logs for arthropods, spiders and large pupae. It supplements this diet with some seeds in winter.

Did you know?

Males in British Columbia have been observed to adapt their songs in the presence of highway noise, altering the overall length of their vocalisations to remain audible despite traffic.