Sedge Wren (Cistothorus platensis)

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A Field Guide to Eastern Birds. by Roger Tory Peterson.

Wrens of Eastern North America

Sedge Wren (Cistothorus platensis)

Identification: Length from tip of bill to tip of tail 3.75 inches. The Sedge Wren breeds in freshwater marshes and is usually found there. The face lacks a white band (supercilium) over the eye. The bill is short and curved downward. The crown of the head and back are brown with a slight red tint and streaked with weak, white lines. The tail is short and stubby, and both the tail and the wings have dark brown to black bars. The throat, breast, and belly are white and the sides are tinged with tan.

Similar Species: The Sedge Wren is most likely to be confused with the Marsh Wren within its marshy habitat. The Marsh Wren has a conspicuous white band over the eye and the crown on the head is uniform brown, not streaked with white. The Sedge Wren is slightly smaller (3.75 inches in length) than the Marsh Wren (4 inches in length) and the tail is slightly longer and narrower. The Sedge Wren might be confused with two other wren species without a white band over the eye; the House Wren and the Winter Wren. Neither of these two species has white streaking on the head and back and neither is typically found in marshes.

Breeding Range (see map below): The Sedge Wren breeds in a diagonal band starting in Saskatchewan in the west and stretching eastward through Manitoba, the Dakotas, to northern Missouri, Michigan, and Ontario in the east.

Overwintering Range: The Sedge Wren winters in the southern United States from Virginia, southward to Florida, and westward to eastern New Mexico.

Habitat: Sedge Wrens breed in freshwater marshes and sedge meadows. During migration and winter they may sometimes be found in wet meadows.

Food: Insects.

Behavior: The Sedge Wren is a rare, local bird and very elusive in its habitat. The bird is most often seen as it is flushed from the marsh grasses dropping from sight back into the grasses almost immediately. Like the Marsh Wren, Sedge Wrens build partially completed dummy nests. During flight the Sedge Wren seems to hover over the ground. The song is soft and insect-like consisting of 3 chips followed by a harsh trill.

Reproduction: The nest is an oval mass of marsh grass and cattails with an entrance at the side. The clutch consists of 4 to 8 white eggs. Incubation takes from 12 to 16 days and the young are fledged in 12 to 14 days.

Notes: The Sedge Wren is very elusive bird with a spotty, local distribution.