Marsh Wren

Marsh Wren

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1. Description
2. Sound
3. Conservation Status
4. Other Names
5. Cool Facts
6. Full detailed species account

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

Description

• 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.

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

Sex Differences

Sexes look alike, but male is larger.

Sound

Song a gurgling, rattling trill.

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)

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.

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.