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Pacific Wren

ID Info
  • Pacific Wren
  • Pacific Wren
  • Pacific Wren  video
Silhouette WrensWrens
Pacific WrenTroglodytes pacificus
  • ORDER: Passeriformes
  • FAMILY: Troglodytidae

Basic Description

Pacific Wrens are tiny brown wrens with a song much larger than themselves. One researcher deemed them a “pinnacle of song complexity.” This tinkling, bubbly songster is more often heard than seen within the dark understory of old-growth evergreen forests where they live. When Pacific Wrens sing they hold their tail upright and their entire body shakes with sound. They move like mice through the forest understory, hopping along logs and upturned roots.

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

Pacific Wrens are very vocal so listen for their rapid series of tumbling and trilling notes in old-growth forests in the West. When you hear their sweet song, patiently look in the understory for mouselike movements along decaying logs and in upturned roots. Early mornings during the breeding season are best times to find them perched in the open shaking as they sing.

Other Names

  • Chochín del Pacífico (Spanish)
  • Troglodyte de Baird (French)

Backyard Tips

If you live within their breeding range, you may be able to attract one to your yard by installing a nest box. Be sure to have the nest box ready, complete with a predator guard, before the breeding season begins. Find plans to build your own nest box at NestWatch. Maintaining areas with dense vegetation and brush piles can provide foraging and maybe even nesting opportunities. Landscaping with native plants can also attract Pacific Wrens. For a starter list of bird-friendly native plants for your yard, read this article from All About Birds.

  • Cool Facts