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Wrens from North to South
These little brown birds are incredible singers!
© Hector Bottai
There are nearly ninety species of wrens in the world, and quite a few are exceptional singers. Nearly all of them reside in the Western Hemisphere, with the majority living in Central and South America. The White-bellied Wren ranks among the tiniest, at just under four inches, while the Giant Wren is nearly nine inches long — as big as a Red-winged Blackbird. And the most legendary singer? It’s a tough decision, but many would choose this Musician Wren from South America.
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BirdNote®
Wrens from North to South
Written by Bob Sundstrom
This is BirdNote.
[Carolina Wren song]
If we ran down the list of our most familiar songbirds — like crows, robins, and jays — we wouldn’t have to go all that far to reach the wrens. They are little brown birds with cocked tails—and big voices.
There are nearly ninety species of wrens in the world. Nearly all of them reside in the Western Hemisphere, from Alaska to the Falkland Islands. The majority live in Central and South America. And quite a few are exceptional singers.
Many wrens are small and secretive. The White-bellied Wren of Mexico, Guatemala, and Belize ranks among the tiniest, at just under four inches.
[White-bellied Wren song]
The White-bellied Wren is tough to get a look at, but its brisk, musical song reveals its presence as it skulks through the tropical underbrush.
[White-bellied Wren song]
The largest of wrens, the Giant Wren, is found only in a small area of Mexico and Guatemala.
[Giant Wren song]
Giant Wrens are as big as Red-winged Blackbirds, nearly nine inches long, with rusty brown backs and white undersides. Far from shy, they call raucously as they chase one another through open woodlands.
[Giant Wren song]
Among all the wrens which is the most legendary singer? It’s a tough decision, but many would choose South America’s Musician Wren.
[Musician Wren song]
Learn more about this little bird’s special song on our website, BirdNote.org. I’m Mary McCann.
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Senior Producer: Mark Bramhill
Producer: Sam Johnson
Managing Producer: Jazzi Johnson
Managing Producer: Ariana Remmel
Content Director: Jonese Franklin
Bird sounds provided by The Macaulay Library of Natural Sounds at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Ithaca, New York. Recorded by Bob McGuire, 139416 Gregory Budney, 103348 Matthew D. Medler, L. Irby Davis, and Curtis Marantz.
BirdNote’s theme music was composed and played by Nancy Rumbel and John Kessler.
© 2018 Tune In to Nature.org July 2018/2019 & January 2023/2026 Narrator: Mary McCann
ID# wren-01-2018-07-02 wren-01
Bob Sundstrom
Writer