Marsh Wren

Cistothorus palustris

Order PASSERIFORMES - Family TROGLODYTIDAE

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1. Cool Facts
2. Description
3. Similar Species
4. Sound
5. Range
6. Habitat
7. Food
8. Behavior
9. Reproduction
10. Conservation Status
11. Other Names

A common and noisy inhabitant of cattail marshes, the Marsh Wren sings all day and throughout the night.

Cool Facts

• Eastern and western populations of the Marsh Wren show slight differences in appearance, but large differences in song. In general, western birds are paler and drabber, and sing less musical songs. The differences may mean that the two forms are separate species.

Description

• Size: 10-14 cm (4-6 in)
• Weight: 9-14 g (0.32-0.49 ounces)

• Small brown bird with thin bill.
• Tail often held upright.
• Dark cap.
• Whitish eyeline.
• Bold black-and-white streaks on back.
• Buffy flanks, whitish chest.

Sex Differences

Sexes look alike, but male is larger.

Immature

Juvenile similar to adult, but lacks bold streaking on back and has only an indistinct eyestripe.

Similar Species

• Sedge Wren has similar streaks on back, but is paler, has a paler, streaked crown, and has a less distinct eyestripe.

Sound

Song a gurgling, rattling trill.

»listen to songs of this species

Range

Summer Range

Breeds from British Columbia to Maine, and southward throughout intermountain West and along all coasts southward to Mexico.

Winter Range

Winters in southern United States and Mexico, as well as locally in West.

Habitat

Nests in variety of marshes, especially with dense reeds.

Food

Insects and spiders.

Behavior

Foraging

Actively moves about on or near marsh floor, gleans insects from plants and just below water.

Reproduction

Nest Type

Domed nest of grasses and sedges with entrance on side, lashed to vegetation.

Egg Description

Brown with dark spots.

Clutch Size

Usually 4-6 eggs. Range: 3-10.

Condition at Hatching

Helpless with only wisps of down.

Conservation Status

Declining in eastern portion of range, increasing in western.

Other Names

Troglodyte des Marais (French)
Chivirín pantanero, Saltapared Pantanero (Spanish)
Long-billed Marsh Wren (English)

Sources used to construct this page:

Kroodsma, D. E., and J. Verner. 1997. Marsh Wren (Cistothorus palustris). In The Birds of North America, No. 308 (A. Poole and F. Gill, eds.). The Academy of Natural Sciences, Philadelphia, PA, and The American Ornithologists' Union, Washington, D.C.