Bewick's Wren (Thryomanes bewickii)

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

Wrens of Eastern North America

Bewick's Wren (Thryomanes bewickii)

Identification:  Length from tip of bill to tip of tail. The face has a conspicuous white band (supercilium) over the eye. The crown of the head and back are brown without white streaking. The outer feathers of the tail are white with black bands. The underside is white with parts shaded with gray to gray-brown. Like all wrens the tail is usually held perpendicular to the body.

Similar Species: Bewick's Wren is most similar to the Carolina Wren. The Carolina Wren is slightly larger and the sides are tinted with light tan, not gray-brown. The outer tail feathers are not white with black bars. The Marsh Wren also has a white supercilium, but the back is streaked with white and black, and the outer tail feathers are brown not white.

Breeding Range (see map below): Bewick's Wren is common in the west, but rare and local in the east. The species breeds from southern British Columbia, southward to California and Nevada and eastward through Kansas, Texas, Missouri, Arkansas to the Appalachian Mountains.

Overwintering Range: Bewick's Wren is generally not a migrant, but birds in the east may winter to the south of the breeding populations.

Habitat: This species is most commonly found in brush thickets and hedgerows on farmland, but is also found in open woodlands, scrubby fields, and along streams.

Food: Insects.

Behavior: Bewick's has the usual wren behavioral characteristics including the perpendicular tail, energetic habits, and loud, bubbling voice. The species prefers drier habitats than its look-alike, the Carolina Wren. The song consists of 2 to 5 notes followed by a trill.

Reproduction: The nest is placed in a wide variety of cavities including tree holes, bird boxes, buckets, or any other type of man-made hole. The nest itself is made of sticks lined with feathers, leaves, and grass. The clutch consists of 5 to 7 white eggs speckled with brown. Incubation takes from 12 to 14 days. The young fledge in about 14 days.