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Marsh Wren

Cistothorus palustrisOrder: PASSERIFORMES Family: Wrens (Troglodytidae)
Codes: Common Name: MAWR Scientific Name: CISPAL ITIS Taxonomic No.: 178608
Least Concern
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Marsh Wren
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Birdman Mel's Backyard Tips
Jelly Jar Jelly Feeder
The orange "blossum" replaces the lid of a jelly jar.
Attract Orioles with Fruit
Sliced orange secures easily to the center of the ring. Low cost.
Attract with Nectar
Hex shaped nectar feeds several Orioles. Nectar kept in fridge.
Charm and Attraction
Lovely copper umbrella keeps fruit cool and looks great.

Overview

Marsh Wren: Small wren with lightly barred, warm brown upperparts, black-and-white triangular patch on upper back, and dull white underparts with pale brown sides. Crown is dark and eyebrows are white. Tail is relatively short and dark-barred. Black bill is long and slender. Legs and feet are black.


Range and Habitat

Marsh Wren: Breeds from British Columbia, central interior Canada, Manitoba, and Nova Scotia south to Mexico, the Gulf coast, and Florida. Spends winters across the southern tier of states, north to Washington on the west coast and east to New Jersey. Found in a variety of wetland habitats.

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Topo Map: Perching-like Body


Listen to Call

Voice Text

"te-suk-te-suk"

Interesting Facts

 The Marsh Wren is a secretive bird; even when singing the territorial male remains well hidden, briefly climbing a cattail for a look at an intruder.

 Males destroy eggs and nestlings of neighboring birds. They will even attack their own eggs if the female is removed from the nest. This behavior reduces competition for food in their area.

 The males are known for their loud gurgling song. Learning continues throughout their adult life; it has been shown they will imitate songs presented to them on a tape recording or by a live tutor.

 A group of wrens has many collective nouns, including a "chime", "flight", "flock", and "herd" of wrens.


Bird Term Glossary



Author

Gary Owen Dick

Artist

Imran Kahn

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Range Map for Marsh Wren

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Family Wren (Troglodytidae)_blue
Species Cistothorus palustris
Length4.5 - 5 Inches
Wingspan6.25 Inches

Marsh Wren

Marsh Wren: Small wren with lightly barred, warm brown upperparts, black-and-white triangular patch on upper back, and dull white underparts with pale brown sides. Crown is dark and eyebrows are white. Tail is relatively short and dark-barred. Black bill is long and slender. Legs and feet are black.

● Song: "te-suk-te-suk"

● Foraging & Feeding: Marsh Wren: Eats insects and other invertebrates. Forages on or near the marsh floor, where it gleans food from vegetation and the water surface. Sometimes forages in thickets or shrub patches near marshes.

● Breeding & nesting: Marsh Wren: Three to ten brown eggs, flecked with dark brown, are laid in a globular nest made of reeds and cattails with a side entrance, lined with feathers and cattail down, and anchored to reeds. Incubation ranges from 12 to 16 days and is carried out by the female.

● Similar species: Marsh Wren: Bewick's Wren has an unstreaked back. Sedge Wren has a less distinct stripe behind eye and a streaked crown.

Flight Pattern

Weak fluttering flights of short duration.
Marsh Wren Body Illustration
● Range & Habitat: Marsh Wren: Breeds from British Columbia, central interior Canada, Manitoba, and Nova Scotia south to Mexico, the Gulf coast, and Florida. Spends winters across the southern tier of states, north to Washington on the west coast and east to New Jersey. Found in a variety of wetland habitats.
BreedingPolygamous, Colonial
Population
MigrationMigratory
Weight0.4 Ounces
Perching-like BodyX
UnderpartsX
Belly, undertail coverts, chest, flanks, and foreneck.
UpperpartsX
Back, rump, hindneck, wings, and crown.
CrownX
The crown is the top part of the birds head.
4 and 6 letter alpha codesX

The four letter common name alpha code is is derived from the first two letters of the common first name and the first two letters of common last name. The six letter species name alpha code is derived from the first three letters of the scientific name (genus) and the first three letters of the scientific name (species). See (1) below for the rules used to create the codes..

Four-letter (for English common names) and six-letter (for scientific names) species alpha codes were developed by Pyle and DeSante (2003, North American Bird-Bander 28:64-79) to reflect A.O.U. taxonomy and nomenclature (A.O.U. 1998) as modified by Supplements 42 (Auk 117:847-858, 2000) and 43 (Auk 119:897-906, 2002). The list has been updated by Pyle and DeSante to reflect changes reported by the A.O.U from 2003 through 2006.

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ITIS CodesX

The Integrated Taxonomic Information System (ITIS) was established in the mid-1990�s as a cooperative project among several federal agencies to improve and expand upon taxonomic data (known as the NODC Taxonomic Code) maintained by the National Oceanographic Data Center (NODC), National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).

To find the ITIS page for a bird species go to the ITIS web site advanced search and report page at http://www.itis.gov/advanced_search.html. You can enter the TSN or the common name of the bird. It will return the ITIS page for that bird. Another way to obtain the ITIS page is to use the Google search engine. Enter the string ITIS followed by the taxonomic ID, for example "ITIS 178041" will return the page for the Allen's Hummingbird.

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Parts of a Standing birdX
Head Feathers and MarkingsX
Parts of a Flying birdX