Page 291 - Complete Birds of Britain and Europe (DK - RSPB)

WRENS, DIPPERS,WAXWINGS,AND ACCENTORS
Order Passeriformes Family Troglodytidae Species Troglodytes troglodytes
Wren round head, with

long pale stripe no neck
over eye
dark barring
on back pale brown
and wings tiny, rounded, back
cocked tail
fine,
long
bill

pale buff
IN FLIGHT
underside
softly barred
flanks
strong pale
FLIGHT: low, fast, short, with bursts of quick feet
wingbeats; dives quickly into cover.
ne of Europe’s smallest birds, the big-
Ovoiced Wren uses a remarkable
variety of habitats. It is found from sea
level to high up in mountain areas, from
forest to almost open spaces; subspecies
exist in remote island groups. It spends most
of the time low down, on or near the ground, often in deep
thickets of bramble or bracken or in ornamental shrubberies. Cold winters
cause dramatic declines but Wren populations can recover quite quickly. DETERMINED SINGER
VOICE Dry, hard calls with irritable, rattling With tail raised and bill wide open,
quality,chit, chiti,tzerrr;song loud,full-throated, a singing Wren puts all its effort
warbling outburst with characteristic low, into a loud, vibrant song.
hard trill and fast, ringing notes.
NESTING Small, loose ball of leaves and grass,
tucked in bank, under overhang; 5 or 6 eggs;
2 broods;April–July.
FEEDING Forages in dark, damp places
under hedges, around buildings, shrubberies,
in ditches, and in patches of dead bracken
and similar low, thick cover; finds insects
and spiders and feeds on scraps scattered
under bushes.
SIMILAR SPECIES SUBSPECIES OCCURRENCE
Breeds in practically all of Europe
DUNNOCK ROBIN juvenile, similar T. t. zetlandicus except far north; in N and
see p.292 to adult; see p.295 (Shetland) E Europe only in summer. Lives
larger larger and anywhere from open clifftops and
longer and coarsely
tail greyer spotted barred heaths to broadleaved and
flanks coniferous woodland, parks,
longer gardens, and hedges.
tail greyer
brown Seen in the UK
J F M A M JJ A S O N D
Length 9–10cm (3 1 ⁄2 –4in) Wingspan 13–17cm (5–6 1 ⁄2in) Weight 8–13g ( 5 ⁄16 – 7 ⁄16oz)
Social Roosts in flocks Lifespan 2–5 years Status Secure
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