Measurements
Both Sexes
- Length
- 3.9–5.5 in
10–14 cm - Weight
- 0.3–0.5 oz
9–14 g
Other Names
- Long-billed Marsh Wren
- Troglodyte des Marais (French)
- Chivirín pantanero, Saltapared Pantanero (Spanish)
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.
Habitat
Marsh
Nests in variety of marshes, especially with dense reeds.
Food
Insects
Insects and spiders.
Nesting
Nesting Facts
- Clutch Size
- 3–10 eggs
- Egg Description
- Brown with dark spots.
- Condition at Hatching
- Helpless with only wisps of down.
Nest Description
Domed nest of grasses and sedges with entrance on side, lashed to vegetation.
Nest Placement
Shrub
Behavior
Ground Forager
Actively moves about on or near marsh floor, gleans insects from plants and just below water.
Conservation
Least Concern
Declining in eastern portion of range, increasing in western.
Credits
- 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.