House Wren Photo Gallery
Adult (Northern)
Small, nondescript brown bird with a short tail, thin bill, and dark barring on wings and tail with a paler throat.
© Andy Witchger / Macaulay LibraryMinnesota, May 03, 2017Adult (Brown-throated)
Birds from Southeastern Arizona and the mountains of Mexico are warm brown, especially below.
© Ed Corey / Macaulay LibraryArizona, August 20, 2020Adult (Northern)
Small, fairly plain brown wren with indistinct eyebrow stripe and strongly barred tail and wings. Bubbly song is given frequently in spring and early summer.
© Daniel Jauvin / Macaulay LibraryQuebec, May 05, 2022Not all videos have soundAdult (Southern)
Birds from southern Mexico to the south are warm, tawny brown, with less contrast.
© Pablo Re / Macaulay LibrarySanta Fe, July 11, 2020Adult (Cozumel I.)
Birds on Cozumel Island are whitish below, contrasting with brown upperparts.
© Richard Edden / Macaulay LibraryQuintana Roo, November 13, 2022Adult
Forages fairly low in tree branches and shrubs, eating mainly insects and spiders. This video has no audio.
© Larry Arbanas / Macaulay LibraryArizona, May 10, 2006Not all videos have soundAdult (Dominica)
Birds from Dominica are a uniform rich reddish brown.
© Brian Sullivan / Macaulay LibrarySaint John, March 03, 2018Adult (St. Lucia)
Birds from St. Lucia are long-billed, with light underparts and brownish upperparts.
© David Hollie / Macaulay LibrarySoufrière, June 13, 2023Adult (Northern)
Song is a long, bubbly jumble of trills and scolds given by both males and females. Often pushes tail downward while singing, unlike other wrens.
© Timothy Barksdale / Macaulay LibraryNew York, May 30, 2004Not all videos have soundAdult (St. Vincent)
Birds from St. Vincent are whitish below with rich rufous upperparts and darker wings.
© David Hollie / Macaulay LibrarySaint Patrick, June 18, 2023Adult (Grenada)
Birds from Grenada are uniformly tawny with a contrasting paler throat.
© Josep del Hoyo / Macaulay LibrarySaint George, June 16, 2017Adult (Northern)
Nests in tree cavities and birdhouses, where it is a strong competitor for nest sites and may evict larger birds to claim the spot for its own.
© Jay McGowan / Macaulay LibraryMontana, June 26, 2015Not all videos have soundAdult (Northern)
The distinctive loud bubbling song is often heard before the bird is seen.
© Blair Dudeck / Macaulay LibraryBritish Columbia, June 05, 2020Adult (Northern)
Dark barring on the wings and tail contrast with the more uniform brown plumage elsewhere.
© Evan Lipton / Macaulay LibraryMassachusetts, September 16, 2016Adult (Northern)
The "Northern" subspecies group breeds across southern Canada and most of the United States.
© Ceredig Roberts / Macaulay LibraryIdaho, June 07, 2019Adult (Northern)
Nests in nest boxes, old woodpecker nests, natural crevices, and other cavities.
© Larry Van Brunt / Macaulay LibraryNew York, May 08, 2019Habitat (Northern)
Found in scrubby habitats, often close to homes and buildings.
© Court Harding / Macaulay LibraryFlorida, October 26, 2019Compare with Similar Species
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Species in This Family
Wrens(Order: Passeriformes, Family: Troglodytidae)
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