How do you identify a Grass Wren?

The grass wren is 10 to 10.5 cm (3.9 to 4.1 in) long. Full identification notes are on this page.

How big is a Grass Wren?

The Grass Wren is a tiny sized bird weighing about 9 g.

Where can you see a Grass Wren?

The Grass Wren occurs in 20 countries, including the United States, Canada, Chile, Colombia and Ecuador.

What does a Grass Wren sound like?

You can listen to 3 field recordings of the Grass Wren on this page, contributed to xeno-canto under open licences.

What birds look similar to a Grass Wren?

The Grass Wren is most easily confused with the Apolinar's Wren, the Merida Wren and the Marsh Wren.

Is the Grass Wren endangered?

The Grass Wren is listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List.

Grass Wren

Cistothorus platensis

Wrens · Passeriformes · Common

The Grass Wren (Cistothorus platensis) is a common wren found in 20 countries, weighing about 9 g. The grass wren is a species of passerine bird in the family Troglodytidae.

Least ConcernCommonEats invertebratesgrasslanddome nest9 g

Grass Wren (Cistothorus platensis), photo 1 — Photo: Valentín Alfano · http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

Grass Wren (Cistothorus platensis), photo 2 — Photo: Valentín Alfano · http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

Grass Wren (Cistothorus platensis), photo 3 — Photo: Valentín Alfano · http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

Grass Wren (Cistothorus platensis), photo 4 — Photo: Valentín Alfano · http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

Grass Wren (Cistothorus platensis), photo 5 — Photo: tcantrell52 · http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

Grass Wren (Cistothorus platensis), photo 6 — Photo: Laura Gaudette · http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

Grass Wren (Cistothorus platensis), photo 7 — Photo: Laura Gaudette · http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

Grass Wren (Cistothorus platensis), photo 8 — Photo: Valentín Alfano · http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

Grass Wren (Cistothorus platensis), photo 9 — Photo: Valentín Alfano · http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

Grass Wren (Cistothorus platensis), photo 10 — Photo: ncb1221 · http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

About the Grass Wren

The grass wren is a species of passerine bird in the family Troglodytidae. It is widely distributed in central and southern America.

Text adapted from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

How to identify it

The grass wren is 10 to 10.5 cm (3.9 to 4.1 in) long. Its upperparts are buffy brown with black and buffy whitish streaks on the back. The wings and tail have dusky bands. Its underparts are mostly buffy. Voice: The grass wren's song is a "series of short,...high notes such as high rattles, sharp trills, sparrowlike 'tr-tr-tr-tr' and nasal 'zèzèzèzè'."

What the Grass Wren sounds like

Recording: Niels Krabbe · CC BY-SA 4.0 · via xeno-canto

Where it lives

United States Canada Chile Colombia Ecuador Argentina Mexico Falkland Islands Peru Brazil Costa Rica Honduras Belize Bolivia Venezuela Paraguay Uruguay Guatemala Nicaragua

Recorded as a rare visitor in Bahamas.

When to see it

Best months: January, February, April, May, June, July, August, September, October, November, December, with peak activity in May. It is a resident species across most of its range.

Easily confused with

Quick questions

How do you identify a Grass Wren?: The grass wren is 10 to 10.5 cm (3.9 to 4.1 in) long. Full identification notes are on this page.
How big is a Grass Wren?: The Grass Wren is a tiny sized bird weighing about 9 g.
Where can you see a Grass Wren?: The Grass Wren occurs in 20 countries, including the United States, Canada, Chile, Colombia and Ecuador.
What does a Grass Wren sound like?: You can listen to 3 field recordings of the Grass Wren on this page, contributed to xeno-canto under open licences.
What birds look similar to a Grass Wren?: The Grass Wren is most easily confused with the Apolinar's Wren, the Merida Wren and the Marsh Wren.
Is the Grass Wren endangered?: The Grass Wren is listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List.

Learn the Grass Wren for real

BeakBrain drills you on photos and calls until you can greet this bird by name in the field. Free to play, on any device.

Play BeakBrain

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