Winter Wren
Winter Wren
Credit: Tom Vezo
There is something mysterious to me about the Winter Wren. Its song is loud, long, exuberant, and, yes, so beautiful with its rollicking trills and warbles that it can startle you. And this from a bird barely larger than your big toe. Camping next to one would only be recommended for the earliest of risers.
Winter Wrens love to live in the cool mossy confines of northern forests. Amid the blow-downs and brush piles, they skulk about like mice, giving you brief tantalizing views through the branches as they excitedly chirp and chatter while bouncing on their short legs.
You might think such a tiny bird would not be hardy and might need to migrate south to tropical climates for the winter. But yet again, the Winter Wren surprises – in most of its range it is one of the first to arrive in spring and last to leave, some even lingering into January here in Maine where you may see one sneaking along the edge of a brook searching for insects. And along the Pacific Coast they are year-round residents even in the Aleutian and Pribilof Islands of Alaska. Migratory populations spend the winter entirely north of Mexico. Most of those that breed in Canada’s Boreal winter within the bottomland forests of the southeast U.S.
To hear the song, click here: 
Winter Wren (.mp3) (sound courtesy of Matt Medler).
August 20th, 2009 at 1:28 am
Winter Wren is one of my favorites.
August 26th, 2009 at 2:01 am
Nice description of the winter wren! I want to learn more about it, so will consult the books. Thanks for having the link to its song included in your post.
September 2nd, 2009 at 5:06 pm
I often heard this songster while hiking in the Adirondacks (I have ascended 13 of the 46 high peaks) and living on the former Plattsburgh Air Force Base. Heard one singing this spring literally from the entrance door to our favorite B&B a few miles outside Lake Placid. Very cool.
December 5th, 2009 at 6:38 am
I just found my first Winter Wren hopping in amongst the leaves near the house. He seemed quite unconcerned to be so near to me and reminded me of a little wind-up toy as he scuttled here and there, jumping up under the hose reel, then hanging upside down…pecking at little bits of things. We are on the Pacific Coast in Canada. A most endearing little bird!
February 25th, 2010 at 9:34 pm
[...] however, I was pleasantly surprised to find an expansive photo of a gorgeous Winter Wren (which Jeff blogged about this fall) taking up much of the front page in the Seattle Times. Excited and intrigued, my eyes [...]