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.
© Jay McGowan | Macaulay LibraryNew York, October 15, 2016Small, 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.
© David Weber | Macaulay LibraryNew York, September 12, 2014Found in wetlands with emergent vegetation such as cattails and bulrushes.
© Jack Rogers | Macaulay LibrarySouth Carolina, February 18, 2017The 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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