WRENS

Sedge Wren

SCIENTIFIC NAME: Cistothorus stellaris

The Sedge Wren is a small and secretive passerine bird in the family Troglodytidae. It is widely distributed in North America.

The Sedge Wren is a relatively small wren measuring 3.9 - 4.7 inches and weighs 7 - 10 grams.

Males and females have the same plumage but the males are slightly larger. Their head and back are tawny brown streaked with black and white. They have a pale buff supercilium and brown irises. Rump is orange and tail is tawny brown bared with black.

Wings are tawny brown barred with black, white and pale buff. They have a white throat and belly with pale buff on the side. Their beak is long and slender. The upper mandible of the beak is brown while the lower mandible is yellow. They have pink legs and feet.

Juveniles are overall similar to adults but have less streaking on the head and nape and their chest is paler than adults.

CALL: Sharp chips followed by rapid chatter.

SONG: An accelerating series of 3 or 4 sharp chips, followed by a trill.

Insects and spiders.

They generally occupy meadows and wet grasslands during the breeding season. They can also live in marshes and dry prairies. They prefer areas with dense and tall grasses and sedges to build their nests.

They are found in a variety of habitat like pine savannas, dry prairies, meadows, marshes and bogs during winter.

BREEDS: The southern half of Alberta and Saskatchewan and in southern Ontario and Quebec in Canada and in the United States, west of the Appalachians, from the Canadian border to Missouri and northern Arkansas.

MIGRATES & WINTERS: The southern half of Arkansas down to Texas and Florida.

The nest is a round ball of grasses and sedges, with an entrance on the side. It is built by the male and lined by the female with grass, sedge and feathers.

The female usually lays 7 eggs but it can vary from 1 - 10 white eggs which she incubates for 12 – 16 days. The female does most of the parental care and feeding while the male continues to build nests and display for other females. However, the male will also occasionally feed the young. The young leave the nest after 11 – 16 days. Some early breeding females can also have a second brood later in the season.

SOURCES:
https://en.wikipedia.org
https://www.allaboutbirds.org