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| Winter Wren |
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| Marsh Wren |
Photos Courtesy Sharon Milligan
For this week's field trip - see end of article
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A great deal of bird identification is done on the principle of elimination. The process generally leaves the birder with just one choice, or possibly two, in the identity of any given bird.
There are many groups of birds that become a "piece of cake" once some simple keys are given. One such group is wrens, which are often called the little brown birds that are the bane of the beginning birder.
We are in that time frame when the wren we see could be any one of six; our resident wrens are being joined for the winter by four other species.
Let's assume that your book is open to the pages of wrens. Notice that there are seven species that occur in the eastern United States, but only six of them occur in Mississippi .. eliminate the Rock Wren (although I fully expect that one day the Rock Wren will be part of Mississippi's bird life, this column will deal with probabilities, not possibilities). Editor's note: Judy's prediction was correct- a Rock Wren was found by Jake Walker at Grand Bay Estuarine Research Reserve on 3 October, 2012.
The first big "cut" among the wrens is the presence of absence of an eye line. Notice that after eliminating the Rock Wren, there are three that have eye lines and three that don't. Those that do are the Carolina, Bewick's and Marsh Wren.
Let's assume that the reader is a beginning birder laboring over his first wren, and that wren is one with an eye stripe. Next check the back; is it plain or does it have stripes? No stripes? Eliminate the Marsh Wren. You are left with two choices - Carolina or Bewick's Wren. Look at the undersides - if they are buffy, eliminate Bewick's Wren and consider the probability of the Carolina Wren. Since immature Carolina Wrens are sometimes quite lacking in buffy undersides, take another step to be sure. Note the tail - if it is not edged in white, the bird cannot be a Bewick's Wren and you'll be back to old faithful, the Carolina Wren, the most abundant of our wrens and a year-round resident.
Suppose the wren in your fieldglasses does not have an eye line. Eliminate the three already mentioned and consider only the House, Winter and Sedge Wrens. Notice that the Sedge Wren has stripes in the manner of a Marsh Wren. If your bird has stripes and lacks the eyeline, it must be the Sedge Wren!
But you say it has no back stripes, that it looks like a plain little brown bird? Eliminate the Sedge Wren and concentrate your efforts deciding where it's a House Wren or a Winter Wren. Look at the tail. If it is short and stubby, the bird is a Winter Wren. If it is fairly long, it is a House Wren.
Okay, so you say you can't get a good look at the tail. Check the belly. If it's heavily barred, you are looking at a Winter Wren.
Experienced birders recognize most wrens before they are seen, because wrens have distinctive call notes and fussing noises that are as good a clue as a good look. Experience will soon disclose that the Marsh Wren, Sedge Wren and Winter Wren show some preference for exclusive or nearly exclusive habitats; that the Carolina and House Wrens are fairly ubiquitous in dry, bushy areas; and that Bewick's Wren is seen about once every five years here and the laws of probability should be kept in mind.
There follows a breakdown of wrens. Note their seasonal distribution and their preferred habitats. Such knowledge can be an aid, especially if committed to a corner of the mind and tapped the minute your next wren comes into view. The following list is given in the taxonomic order:
CAROLINA WREN: Common permanent resident, and widespread in thickets, scrubby bushes, gardens and around houses.
BEWICK'S WREN: Very casual in occurrence here (it was once fairly common), but should be looked for between September 17 and May 27 in much the same habitats as the Carolina Wren.
HOUSE WREN: Fairly common from October through April, but inclusive dates are September 24 to May 24. Occurs in open woods, thickets and scrub; less likely around houses and gardens during its stay here.
WINTER WREN: Uncommon in winter, from October 12 to April 15. While here it shows a preference for heavy brush piles around fallen trees and very dense thickets.
SEDGE WREN: Fairly common from September 20 to May 11; found mostly in sedge grasses close to marshes.
MARSH WREN: Common in fall, winter and spring. Localized and common as a breeding bird in the summer, but almost exclusively in salt marsh, and mostly on the barrier islands. In winter occurs in almost any stretch of salt marsh vegetation, especially spartina, occasionally cattails and other reeds.
Now, wasn't that easy?
This article was published in October, 1983
For many people, this is their favorite Mississippi Coast Audubon Society Field trip, and it’s this Saturday! All are welcome.
October 8, 2016: Dauphin Island, Alabama
The Coast’s premier migrant trap. This site is part of the Alabama Coastal Birding Trail. More information and maps at http://www.
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