How to Identify aBewick's Wren
Thryomanes bewickii · 5.1 in (13 cm)
Male vs. female
Male
Plain brown above and gray-white below, with a striking white eyebrow and a long tail edged with white spots. Sexes look alike.
Female
Identical to the male in the field.
Male photo: Minette Layne / Wikimedia, CC BY 2.0 · Second photo: Ron Knight from Seaford, East Sussex, United Kingdom / Wikimedia, CC BY 2.0
Field marks
- Long white eyebrow stripe
- Long tail with white-tipped outer corners
- Plain unbarred brown back
- Flicks the tail sideways rather than up and down
Similar species
What it sounds like
A variable song of a few buzzy introductory notes followed by a musical trill, differing between regions.
Behaviour that gives it away
Flicks its long tail from side to side while foraging, a habit that separates it from other wrens at a glance.
Habitat & range
Brushy country, chaparral, desert scrub, thickets and gardens, mostly in the West.
When you'll see it
Present all year in western, southwestern and central North America.
What it eats
Insects and spiders taken from foliage, bark and the ground.
Did you know?
It has almost vanished east of the Mississippi, and the reasons for the collapse are still not fully understood.
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