Tiny, round-bodied wren with a short tail that is often held up. Rusty-brown above with black-and-white streaks down its back. Underparts are paler and unstreaked. Individuals in eastern North America are often rustier and more brightly colored than those in the West.
Boisterous bird of wetlands. Sings a gurgling rattling trill, usually while hidden in reeds. Brown above with black-and-white streaks down the back. Note pale eyebrow and unstreaked shoulder.
Builds a nest out of dead grass and sedge stems, secured to stems of marsh vegetation.
Clings to reeds, grasping a different stalk in each foot. Rich brown above with dark barring on the tail; paler below with a white throat and breast. Note pale eyebrow.
Small, plump wren with a thin bill. Individuals in eastern North America are rustier and more brightly colored than birds in the West. Note dark barring on tail, black-and-white stripes down the back, unstreaked shoulder, and pale eyebrow.
Found in wetlands with emergent vegetation such as cattails and bulrushes.
The Marsh Wren is a small, plump, round-bodied wren with a short tail that it often holds up almost vertically above its back. It has a thin bill and short wings.
About the size of a House Wren, but smaller than a Song Sparrow.
sparrow-sized or smallerMultiple subspecies of Marsh Wrens occur throughout their range, and their taxonomy has yet to be fully evaluated. In general, individuals in the eastern United States are rustier and more brightly colored than individuals in the western U.S. Birds in the West also have a larger repertoire of songs that are harsher and more complex than those in the East (see Sounds). A small disjunct resident population also occurs in Mexico in the states of Hidalgo, Mexico, and Puebla.
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