Measurements
Both Sexes
- Length
- 7.1–8.7 in
18–22 cm - Weight
- 1.1–1.7 oz
32–47 g
Other Names
- Troglodyte des cactus (French)
- Matraca del desierto (Spanish)
Cool Facts
- The Cactus Wren is an active mobber of nest predators. A pair was observed attacking a Yuma antelope squirrel so vigorously that the squirrel became impaled on the thorns of a cactus called the cholla. The wrens continued to peck the squirrel until it was knocked to the ground where it escaped.
- The Cactus Wren destroys the nests of other bird species, pecking or removing their eggs, and can lower the breeding density of Verdins (another desert bird).
- Cold desert nights may have more of an impact on the success of Cactus Wren breeding than extremely hot daytime temperature.
Habitat
Deserts
Resident in arid lowland and montane thorn-scrub, suburbs.
Food
Insects
Insects and spiders, rarely reptiles and amphibians, some fruit.
Nesting
Nesting Facts
- Egg Description
- Pinkish, covered in small reddish brown spots which may be concentrated around the larger end.
- Condition at Hatching
- Helpless, with some down.
Nest Description
Domed with tunnel-shaped entrance, made of coarse grass or plant fibers. Lined with feathers. Nest placed in cactus or thorn tree, usually surrounded by thorns.
Nest Placement
Shrub
Behavior
Ground Forager
Forages primarily on ground or in shrubs.
Conservation
Least Concern
The loss of coastal sage-scrub in southern California has serously reduced the isolated population of Cactus Wrens living there. Although it is somewhat tolerant of urban development, the large-scale development currently underway throughout the Southwest has caused declines in Cactus Wren populations.
Credits
- Proudfoot, G. A., D. A. Sherry, and S. Johnson. 2000. Cactus Wren (Campylorhynchus brunneicapillus). In The Birds of North America, No. 558 (A. Poole and F. Gill, eds.). The Birds of North America, Inc., Philadelphia, PA.