mdahlem.net WWW

European birds    Bird names   News   Family groups 1-26    Glossary    Plumage    Tips    Thumbnails    Gen. info    Credits    Photos for sale
NON-PASSERINES     1    2    3    4    5    6    7    8    9    10     11     12     13     14	15     16     17     18     19     20     21     22     23     24     25     26     PASSERINES
Common names sorted alphabetically: A   B   C   D   E   F   G   H   I   J   K   L   M   N   O   P   Q   R   S   T   V   W   Y

17

Eurasian Wren (Troglodytes troglodytes) Alternate name(s): "Wren", "Winter Wren" German name(s): "Zaunkönig" Size: 9-10 cm; wing span 13-17 cm Weight: 7-12 g

Europe: Family Group 17 Family Group 17 Table Dunnock Alpine Accentor Goldcrest Common Firecrest Eurasian Wren Willow Warbler Common Chiffchaff Iberian Chiffchaff Wood Warbler Western Bonelli's Warbler Thumbnails page Family group table Index of bird names European birds home page

Description     Classification     Distribution     Sightings     Photos     Breeding     Nest     Eggs     Behaviour     Food     Call/s

Physical description Click here for a physical description Eurasian Wrens are one of the smallest European bird species. Their plumage is highly cryptic. The front is light greyish-brown, with faint darker barring, especially on the sides. The back is darker grey-brown, with yet darker barring in particular on the wings. The cap is plain mid-grey-brown; the supercilium is light grey-brown. There is significant variety in details of the morphology of the different races; for example, the races of the northern Atlantic islands where the species is found are browner than the continental races. Eurasian Wrens have brown irises, a long, slender, slightly decurved bill with an upper mandible that is darker than the lower one, and orange-brown legs and feet. Eurasian Wrens almost always have their short, stubby tail cocked, which is a disinguishing feature.

Taxonomy, classification See Eurasian Wren at Wikipedia .

Range, habitat, finding this species Click here for information on habitat and range The overall distribution of this species can be assessed, and specific locations where birds have been spotted can be found, based on individual sighting reports submitted by birdwatchers to ebird.org . The global distribution of the Eurasian Wren is available HERE . There are about 27 different races of Eurasian Wrens, which - all together - populate most of Europe and parts of western, southern central and far-eastern Asia. For details see, e.g. Wikipedia . In Europe, Eurasian Wrens are found as permanent residents basically everywhere (including the Mediterranean islands), but not in southern and central Scandinavia (away from the Atlantic coastline), where they are found as summer breeding migrants. They are not present in the northern highlands of Norway and Sweden and the far North of Scandinavia. Also in the Baltic states, and to the East of there, they are found as summer migrants. In parts of south-eastern Europe, from the lower Danube catchment to the Dnjepr River, they are winter migrants. Eurasian Wrens have a preference for coniferous forest, often along the margins or in dense, shrubby undergrowth, and in dense shrubs elsewhere, such as e.g. clearings, edges of forest tracks or even in gardens.

Sightings Click here for sighting information Race "troglodytes" J. Pires reports finding Eurasian Wrens, nominate race "troglodytes", occasionally in Mora, Evora, Portugal. H. Dahlem-Senger reports spotting a Eurasian Wren, nominate race "troglodytes", between Eltville and Walluf, Hessen, Germany, in January 2017. An Eurasian Wren, nominate race "troglodytes", was caught, ringed and photographed by S. Cuturilov in Ovcarsko-Kablarski Canyon, near Cacak, Serbia, in October 2017. D. Wilczynska reports finding a Eurasian Wren, nominate race "troglodytes", in Ostrow Mazowiecka, Masovia, Poland, in October 2017. M. Thomas reports spotting a Eurasian Wren, nominate race "troglodytes", in Eltville, Hessen, Germany, in January 2019. M. Eaton found a Eurasian Wren, nominate race "troglodytes", near Padstow, Cornwall, England, in September 2019. G. Normand spotted a Eurasian Wren, nominate race "troglodytes", in Saint Denis, 10 km North of Paris, France, in February 2020. Another was found near Nieppe, Hauts-de-France, France, in April 2020.

Photos

Race "troglodytes"

ADULT

MALE

The (tentative) identification of the birds labeled as males is made based on their behaviour (territorial display and song), rather than morphology.

Near-frontal view of a male(?) Eurasian Wren issuing its call (photo courtesy of J. Pires)
[Parque Ecologico do Gameiro, Mora, Evora, Portugal, February 2023]

Near-lateral view of a male(?) Eurasian Wren issuing its call (photo courtesy of J. Pires)
[Parque Ecologico do Gameiro, Mora, Evora, Portugal, February 2023]

Close-up lateral/ventral view of a male(?) Eurasian Wren (photo courtesy of J. Pires)
[Mora, Evora, Portugal, February 2019]

Close-up lateral/ventral view of a male(?) Eurasian Wren issuing its call (photo courtesy of J. Pires)
[Mora, Evora, Portugal, February 2019]

Sex unknown

Near-frontal view of a Eurasian Wren (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Near Padstow, Cornwall, England, September 2019]

Near-lateral view of a Eurasian Wren (photo courtesy of D. Wilczynska)
[Ostrow Mazowiecka, Masovia, Poland, October 2017]

Near-lateral view of a Eurasian Wren (photo courtesy of M. Thomas)
[Eltville, Hessen, Germany, January 2019]

Lateral view of a Eurasian Wren (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Near Padstow, Cornwall, England, September 2019]

Lateral view of a Eurasian Wren (photo courtesy of M. Thomas)
[Eltville, Hessen, Germany, January 2019]

Lateral view of a Eurasian Wren (photo courtesy of D. Wilczynska)
[Ostrow Mazowiecka, Masovia, Poland, October 2017]

Lateral view of a Eurasian Wren (photo courtesy of D. Wilczynska)
[Ostrow Mazowiecka, Masovia, Poland, October 2017]

Near-dorsal view of a Eurasian Wren (photo courtesy of G. Normand)
[Saint Denis, 10 km North of Paris, France, February 2020]

Near-dorsal view of a Eurasian Wren (photo courtesy of M. Thomas)
[Eltville, Hessen, Germany, January 2019]

Dorsal view of a Eurasian Wren (photo courtesy of D. Wilczynska)
[Ostrow Mazowiecka, Masovia, Poland, October 2017]

Dorsal view of a Eurasian Wren (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Near Padstow, Cornwall, England, September 2019]

Comparison between a Eurasian Wren, right, and a Dunnock, left (photo courtesy of M. Thomas)
[Eltville, Hessen, Germany, January 2019]

Food, Diet

Close-up lateral view of a Eurasian Wren with its prey, a "Daddy Long Leg" spider (photo courtesy of D. Wilczynska)
[Ostrow Mazowiecka, Masovia, Poland, October 2017]

Call(s)/Song

For this species we have recorded the following call(s)/song. The interpretation of their meaning is our own; comments and suggestions for improvement are welcome.

eurwren_jp_20200318.m4a	(Portugal)	Contact call(?)	© JP
eurwren_jp_20200318_2.m4a	(Portugal)	Contact call(?)	© JP
eurwren_jp_20200520.m4a	(Portugal)	Territorial song(?)	© JP
eurwren_jp_20200722.m4a	(Portugal)	Territorial song(?)	© JP
eurwren_jp_20230217.mp3	(Portugal)	Territorial song(?)	© JP
eurwren_jp_20230217_2.mp3	(Portugal)	Territorial song(?)	© JP
eurwren_jp_20200318_3.m4a	(Portugal)	Various	© JP
eurwren_jp_20190528.m4a	(Portugal)	Various (+ Eurasian Blackcap, Short-toed Treecreeper)	© JP

More Eurasian Wren sound recordings are available at xeno-canto.org .

These pages are largely based on our own observations and those of our contributors. The structure of these bird pages is explained HERE. For more salient facts on any bird species please refer to a field guide.

Would you like to contribute photos or sound recordings to this site? If interested, please CLICK HERE. Credits to contributors are given HERE.

Disclaimer: Comments are always welcome. We give no guarantee that the information presented on these pages is always correct or up-to-date. External links are marked as such and we take no responsibility for the contents of external pages. All images on this site are protected by copyright & used by permission of the respective owners. If you wish to reproduce them or any of the material presented on this web site, please contact us: We hereby acknowledge the original custodians of the land which is described on these pages, including the Gomeroi/Gamilaraay people of the North-west Slopes and Plains of NSW, and the traditional owners of other lands and nations within this country. We acknowledge elders past, present and emerging. Sovereignty was never ceded.          Last updated: Fri, 14 April 2023, 7:11 +00:00