top of page
Nature's Solace
Celebrating Nature in the Pacific Northwest
​Pacific Wren - Troglodytes pacificus
Take a walk in our forests, close your eyes and listen - a beautiful joyful aria may fill the air. This is the music of one of the smallest of forest birds - the Pacific Wren, only 3 - 4.7" in length with a wingspan of up to 6". This tiny brown bird with the upright tail sings mid-April to August, although I hear him in the winter months as well - a clear powerful voice from such a small bird. As he sings his heart out, he's seen to put his whole body into his song.
What makes his song so magical is not just the length, which typically is 5- 10 seconds, but may continue up to 120 seconds. The musicality of his complex song never fails to mesmerize. According to Bird Note, "what the bird hears is a precise sequence of sounds". One song may string together as many as 50 phrases. Five different introductions to the song are followed by a variety of song types.
Listen to this recording of the song, slowed down to 1/4 speed. We cannot begin to imagine or understand the message being conveyed within these complex songs. The Winter Wren's Song, Slowed Down, Reveals Breathtaking Details. Simplicity is reserved for his call, a sharp kep-kep.
I often see this bird singing as he sits on a low tree limb or stump. This is because the Pacific Wren is a bird of the forest understory, as they can be seen hopping from tree branch to forest floor inspecting decaying wood, trunks, crevices and upturned roots and on the ground for the insects that sustain them.
Their nests, created with nearby materials, are built in fallen logs, upturned tree roots, dead trees, and within the thick understory cover of mosses and ferns, often near water. Females help line the inside of the nest, but do not build the nest. The male, having several females within his territory, builds several nests which the females choose from. One to nine eggs are laid. There may be two broods.
The young, fed by both parents as nestlings, fledge 16 - 18 days after hatching.
Recently hatched fledgling
Pacific Wrens are permanent residents in the west, although they may migrate to higher or lower elevations depending on the seasons.
Resources:
Bird Note - What the Pacific Wren Hears
Eastside Audubon Society
Northwest Nature Notes -
Singing a Different Tune
All About Birds
Bird Watching Academy
bottom of page