Eurasian Wren Similar Species Comparison
Main SpeciesEurasian Wren
A small brown bird with a short tail, white line behind the eye, and barring on the wings, tail, and flanks.
© Alexis Lours / Macaulay LibraryÎle-de-France, December 17, 2021Coloration, size, and barring on the underparts vary across range. Birds in the Himalayas are darker than those found across much of mainland Europe.
© Aman Mahajan / Macaulay LibraryUttarakhand, November 15, 2023A tiny bird with a big voice. Males sing a loud, fast-paced song with a mix of warbling notes and rapid trills, usually lasting 4–6 seconds.
© Alexis Lours / Macaulay LibraryÎle-de-France, December 25, 2023Not all videos have sound
An energetic species, seen probing for food, flicking wings, bobbing up and down, and frequently raising tail.
© Jaume Lopez Puigbó / Macaulay LibraryCataluña, October 15, 2020A small bird with a round body, thin bill, and short tail.
© Carlos Alberto Ramírez / Macaulay LibraryCastilla y León, September 22, 2016Typically forages on or near the ground, feeding mainly on insects and other invertebrates.
© Pierandrea Brichetti / Macaulay LibraryLombardia, October 25, 2017Not all videos have sound
Male sings loud, long, complex songs much of the year. Female sings whisper songs when incubating or caring for young.
© Tim Emmerzaal / Macaulay LibraryGelderland, April 21, 2023A vocal species often detected by loud songs (males) or noisy, chattering calls (both sexes).
© Alexis Lours / Macaulay LibraryÎle-de-France, December 31, 2023A small, active bird. Frequently cocks tail and bobs entire body up and down.
© Alexis Lours / Macaulay LibraryÎle-de-France, December 25, 2023Not all videos have sound
Frequently holds short, stubby tail upright.
© Volker Hesse / Macaulay LibraryNiedersachsen, October 31, 2018Typically forages on or near the ground.
© Rajkumar Das / Macaulay LibraryArunachal Pradesh, October 05, 2022Often takes cover low in shrubby areas, bushes, hedgerows, overturned trees, and brush piles.
© Станислав Гр. / Macaulay LibraryOdes'ka Oblast', November 05, 2023Sometimes perches prominently, especially when singing.
© Francisco Javier Calvo lesmes / Macaulay LibraryCastilla y León, May 20, 2020Similar SpeciesDunnock
Adult
Dunnock is larger than Eurasian Wren and has a longer tail. Dunnock lacks Eurasian Wren’s white eyestripe and barring on the wings, tail, and underparts.
© Daniel Jauvin / Macaulay LibraryCastilla y León, May 15, 2016Similar SpeciesWinter Wren
Winter Wren (along with Pacific Wren) of North America and Eurasian Wren were formerly considered to be the same species, but their ranges do not overlap at all.
© Scott Martin / Macaulay LibraryMassachusetts, January 06, 2020Similar SpeciesScaly-breasted Cupwing
Scaly-breasted Cupwing (and three other cupwing species) overlaps with Eurasian Wren in Asia. Cupwings—formerly known as wren-babblers—have an even shorter tail than Eurasian Wren. They all have beautifully scalloped underparts and lack Eurasian Wren’s barred wings, tail, and underparts.
© Adit Jeyan / Macaulay LibraryArunachal Pradesh, April 07, 2023Rotate Your Device to Better Compare
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