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Bewick's Wren

ID Info
  • Bewick's Wren
  • Bewick's Wren
  • Bewick's Wren  video
Silhouette WrensWrens
Bewick's WrenThryomanes bewickii
  • ORDER: Passeriformes
  • FAMILY: Troglodytidae

Basic Description

If you come across a noisy, hyperactive little bird with bold white eyebrows, flicking its long tail as it hops from branch to branch, you may have spotted a Bewick’s Wren. These master vocalists belt out a string of short whistles, warbles, burrs, and trills to attract mates and defend their territory, or scold visitors with raspy calls. Bewick’s Wrens are still fairly common in much of western North America, but they have virtually disappeared from the East.

More ID Info
image of range map for Bewick's Wren
Year-roundBreedingMigrationNonbreeding
Range map provided by Birds of the World
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Find This Bird

Listen and watch for Bewick’s Wrens in dry, brushy or scrubby environments in western North America. These birds don't spend a lot of time in the open, so listen for the male's loud song during summer, or for raspy calls coming from tangles of shrubs.

Other Names

  • Cucarachero Colinegro (Spanish)
  • Troglodyte de Bewick (French)

Backyard Tips

If you live within the Bewick’s Wren’s range, you might attract this bird to your yard by landscaping with native shrubs such as willow, mesquite, elderberry, and chaparral plants, or by keeping a brush pile in your yard.

This species may visit backyards if food is available. Find out more about what this bird likes to eat by using the Project FeederWatch Common Feeder Birds bird list.

Consider putting up a nest box to attract a breeding pair. Make sure you put it up well before breeding season. Attach a guard to keep predators from raiding eggs and young. Find out more about nest boxes on All About Birdhouses, where you'll find plans for building a nest box of the appropriate size for Bewick's Wren.

Bird-friendly Winter Gardens, Birdsleuth, 2016.

  • Cool Facts