Northern House Wren

Troglodytes aedon

Not Evaluated · IUCN Red List

NENot EvaluatedInvertebratesShrublandCavity nestTiny · 11 g

What the Northern House Wren sounds like

Sonogram of the Northern House Wren: time runs left to right, pitch bottom to top, and the brighter the mark the louder the sound.
Recorded by JUAN ANTONIO ALONSO DE JUAN · Feeded chickens · La Florida Parque, Colombia · CC BY 4.0 · via xeno-canto
Sonogram of the Northern House Wren: time runs left to right, pitch bottom to top, and the brighter the mark the louder the sound.
Recorded by David Rojas · Song · Tapachula de Córdova y Ordoñez, Tapachula, Chiapas, Mexico · CC0 · via xeno-canto
Sonogram of the Northern House Wren: time runs left to right, pitch bottom to top, and the brighter the mark the louder the sound.
Recorded by radrat · Song · Yolo Bypass Wildlife Area, Yolo County, California, United States · CC BY-SA 4.0 · via xeno-canto

ID tip

Adult northern house wrens are about 11 to 13 cm (4.3 to 5.1 in) long, with a 15 cm (5.9 in) wingspan and weigh about 10 to 12 g (0.35 to 0.42 oz). Among standard measurements, the wing chord is 4.7 to 5.3 cm (1.9 to 2.1 in), the tail is 3.9 to 4.4 cm (1.5 to 1.7 in), the culmen is 1.1 to 1.3 cm (0.43 to 0.51 in) and the tarsus is 1.6 to 1.8 cm (0.63 to 0.71 in). The subspecies vary greatly, with upper parts ranging from dull greyish-brown to rich rufescent-brown, and the underparts ranging from brown, over buff and pale grey, to pure white.

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

When to see the Northern House Wren

One bar for each month. Filled bars are the 7 months with records; pale bars are months with none. The wide bar is May, the month with the most records.

Where to see the Northern House Wren

Regular rangeRare visitor

The map shades 25 countries with regular records, and 2 more in a lighter tone where the bird turns up only as a stray. Everything unshaded has no records. Countries are listed below the map.

Recorded as a rare visitor in France, Guyana.

About the Northern House Wren

The northern house wren is a very small passerine in the wren family Troglodytidae. It is found in southern Canada, the USA and Mexico. It occurs in most suburban areas in its range. It formerly included many subspecies resident in South America and in the Caribbean that are now considered as separate species. The name troglodytes means "hole dweller", and is a reference to the bird's tendency to disappear into crevices when hunting insects or to seek shelter.

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

Easily confused with

Side by side: Carolina Wren vs Northern House Wren · Eurasian Wren vs Northern House Wren · Northern House Wren vs Winter Wren

Learn the Northern House Wren in the BeakBrain App

Photo and call practice. Coming soon to iPhone and Android.

Play today's Daily Bird

Every photo and recording on this page is credited to its author under the licence shown. Spotted a problem with this page, or have a better photo? Contribute.