Superregnum: Eukaryota
Regnum: Animalia
Subregnum: Eumetazoa
Cladus: Bilateria
Cladus: Nephrozoa
Superphylum: Deuterostomia
Phylum: Chordata
Subphylum: Vertebrata
Infraphylum: Gnathostomata
Superclassis: Tetrapoda
Cladus: Reptiliomorpha
Cladus: Amniota
Classis: Reptilia
Cladus: Eureptilia
Cladus: Romeriida
Subclassis: Diapsida
Cladus: Sauria
Infraclassis: Archosauromorpha
Cladus: Crurotarsi
Divisio: Archosauria
Subsectio: Ornithodira
Subtaxon: Dinosauromorpha
Cladus: Dinosauria
Ordo: Saurischia
Cladus: Eusaurischia
Cladus: Theropoda
Cladus: Neotheropoda
Cladus: Averostra
Cladus: Tetanurae
Cladus: Avetheropoda
Cladus: Coelurosauria
Cladus: Maniraptoromorpha
Cladus: Maniraptoriformes
Cladus: Maniraptora
Cladus: Pennaraptora
Cladus: Eumaniraptora
Cladus: Avialae
Infraclassis: Aves
Ordo: Passeriformes
Subordo: Passeri
Infraordo: Passerida
Superfamilia: Certhioidea
Familia: Troglodytidae
Genera: Campylorhynchus – Cantorchilus – Catherpes – Cinnycerthia – Cistothorus – Cyphorhinus – Ferminia – Henicorhina – Hylorchilus – Microcerculus – Odontorchilus – Pheugopedius – Thryomanes – Thryophilus – Thryorchilus – Thryothorus – Troglodytes – Salpinctes –Uropsila
Name
Troglodytidae Swainson, 1832
References
Mann, N.I., Barker, F.K., Graves, J.A., Dinges-Mann, K.A. & Slater, P.J.B. (2006). Molecular data delineate four genera of Thryothorus wrens. Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution 40: 750–759. Full article (PDF)Reference page.
Mann, N.I., Dinges, K.A., Barker, F.K., Graves, J.A. & Slater, P.J.B. (2009). A comparative study of song form and duetting in Neotropical Thryothorus wrens. Behaviour 146: 1–43. Full article (PDF)Reference page.
Sychra, O. et al. 2014: Chewing lice (Phthiraptera: Amblycera et Ischnocera) from wrens (Passeriformes: Troglodytidae), with description of a new species of Myrsidea. Acta Entomologica Musei Nationalis Pragae 54(1): 1-27. Biotaxa Reference page.
Vernacular names
Deutsch: Zaunkönige
English: Wrens
español: Cucaracheros
日本語: ミソサザイ科
ქართული: ჭინჭრაქასებრნი
македонски: Палчиња
polski: Strzyżyki
português do Brasil: Garrinchões
Türkçe: Çit kuşugiller
中文: 鹪鹩科
Wrens are a family of brown passerine birds in the predominantly New World family Troglodytidae. The family includes 88 species divided into 19 genera. Only the Eurasian wren occurs in the Old World, where, in Anglophone regions, it is commonly known simply as the "wren", as it is the originator of the name. The name wren has been applied to other, unrelated birds, particularly the New Zealand wrens (Acanthisittidae) and the Australian wrens (Maluridae).
Most wrens are visually inconspicuous (being, in fact, the shortest bird in England)[1] though they have loud and often complex songs. Exceptions include the relatively large members of the genus Campylorhynchus, which can be quite bold in their behavior. Wrens have short wings that are barred in most species, and they often hold their tails upright. Wrens are primarily insectivorous, eating insects, spiders, and other small invertebrates, but many species also eat vegetable matter and some eat small frogs and lizards.[2]
Etymology and usage
The English name "wren" derives from Middle English: wrenne and Old English: wrænna, attested (as wernnaa) very early, in an eighth-century gloss. It is cognate to Old High German: wrendo, wrendilo, and Icelandic: rindill (the latter two including an additional diminutive -ilan suffix). The Icelandic name is attested in Old Icelandic (Eddaic) as rindilþvari. This points to a Common Germanic name wrandjan-, but the further etymology of the name is unknown.[3]
The wren was also known as the kuningilin ('kinglet') in Old High German, a name associated with the fable of the election of the "king of birds". The bird that could fly to the highest altitude would be made king. The eagle outflew all other birds, but he was beaten by a small bird that had hidden in his plumage. This fable was already known to Aristotle (Historia Animalium 9.11)[4] and Pliny (Natural History 10.95),[5][6] and was taken up by medieval authors such as Johann Geiler von Kaisersberg, but it most likely originally concerned kinglets (Regulus) and was apparently motivated by the yellow "crown" sported by these birds (a point noted already by Ludwig Uhland).[7] The confusion stemmed in part from the similarity and consequent interchangeability of the Ancient Greek words for the wren (βασιλεύς basileus, 'king')[8] and the crest (βασιλίσκος basiliskos, 'kinglet'),[9][10] and the legend's reference to the "smallest of birds" becoming king likely led the title to be transferred to the equally tiny wren.[7][11] In modern German, the name of the bird is Zaunkönig ('king of the fence (or hedge)') and in Dutch, the name is winterkoning ('king of winter').
The family name Troglodytidae is derived from troglodyte, which means 'cave-dweller'.[12] Wrens get their scientific name from the tendency of some species to forage in dark crevices.
The name "wren" is also ascribed to other families of passerine birds throughout the world. In Europe, kinglets are commonly known as "wrens", with the common firecrest and goldcrest known as the "fire-crested wren" and "golden-crested wren", respectively.
The 27 Australasian "wren" species in the family Maluridae are unrelated, as are the New Zealand wrens in the family Acanthisittidae, the antbirds in the family Thamnophilidae, and the Old World babblers of the family Timaliidae.
Description
Wrens are medium-small to very small birds. The Eurasian wren is among the smallest birds in its range, while the smaller species from the Americas are among the smallest passerines in that part of the world. They range in size from the white-bellied wren, which averages under 10 cm (3.9 in) and 9 g (0.32 oz), to the giant wren, which averages about 22 cm (8.7 in) and weighs almost 50 g (1.8 oz). The dominating colors of their plumage are generally drab, composed of gray, brown, black, and white, and most species show some barring, especially on the tail or wings. No sexual dimorphism is seen in the plumage of wrens, and little difference exists between young birds and adults.[2] All have fairly long, straight to marginally decurved (downward-curving) bills.[2]
Wrens have loud and often complex songs, sometimes given in duet by a pair. The songs of members of the genera Cyphorhinus and Microcerculus have been considered especially pleasant to the human ear, leading to common names such as song wren, musician wren, flutist wren, and southern nightingale-wren.[2]
Distribution and habitat
Cobb's wren is an insular endemic, restricted to the Falkland Islands
Wrens are principally a New World family, distributed from Alaska and Canada to southern Argentina, with the greatest species richness in the Neotropics. As suggested by its name, the Eurasian wren is the only species of wren found outside the Americas, as restricted to Europe, Asia, and northern Africa (it was formerly considered conspecific with the winter wren and Pacific wren of North America). The insular species include the Clarión wren and Socorro wren from the Revillagigedo Islands in the Pacific Ocean, and Cobb's wren in the Falkland Islands, but few Caribbean islands have a species of wren, with only the southern house wren in the Lesser Antilles, the Cozumel wren of Cozumel Island, and the highly restricted Zapata wren in a single swamp in Cuba.
The various species occur in a wide range of habitats, ranging from dry, sparsely wooded country to rainforests. Most species are mainly found at low levels, but members of the genus Campylorhynchus are frequently found higher, and the two members of Odontorchilus are restricted to the forest canopy.[2] A few species, notably the Eurasian wren and the house wren, are often associated with humans. Most species are resident, remaining in Central and South America all year round, but the few species found in temperate regions of the Northern Hemisphere are partially migratory, spending the winter further south.
Behavior and ecology
Wrens vary from highly secretive species such as those found in the genus Microcerculus to the highly conspicuous genus Campylorhynchus, the members of which frequently sing from exposed perches. The family as a whole exhibits a great deal of variation in their behavior. Temperate species generally occur in pairs, but some tropical species may occur in parties of up to 20 birds.[2]
Wrens build dome-shaped nests, and may be either monogamous or polygamous, depending on species.[13]
Though little is known about the feeding habits of many of the Neotropical species, wrens are considered primarily insectivorous, eating insects, spiders, and other small arthropods.[2] Many species also take vegetable matter such as seeds and berries, and some (primarily the larger species) take small frogs and lizards. The Eurasian wren has been recorded wading into shallow water to catch small fish and tadpoles; Sumichrast's wren and the Zapata wren take snails; and the giant wren and marsh wren have been recorded attacking and eating bird eggs (in the latter species, even eggs of conspecifics).[2] A local Spanish name for the giant wren and bicolored wren is chupahuevo ('egg-sucker'), but whether the latter actually eats eggs is unclear.[2] The plain wren and northern house wren sometimes destroy bird eggs, and the rufous-and-white wren has been recorded killing nestlings, but this is apparently to eliminate potential food competitors rather than to feed on the eggs or nestlings.[2] Several species of Neotropical wrens sometimes participate in mixed-species flocks or follow army ants, and the Eurasian wren may follow badgers to catch prey items disturbed by them.[2]
Taxonomy and systematics
| Certhioidea |
|
Relatives of the wrens in the superfamily Certhioidea.[14]
Revised following Martínez Gómez et al. (2005) and Mann et al. (2006), the taxonomy of some groups is highly complex, and future species-level splits are likely. Additionally, undescribed taxa are known to exist. The black-capped donacobius is an enigmatic species traditionally placed with the wrens more for lack of a more apparent alternative than as a result of thorough study. It was recently determined to be most likely closer to certain warblers, possibly the newly established Megaluridae, and might constitute a monotypic family.[15]
Family Troglodytidae
Cactus wren (Campylorhynchus brunneicapillus)
Genus Campylorhynchus
White-headed wren (Campylorhynchus albobrunneus)
Band-backed wren (Campylorhynchus zonatus)
Grey-barred wren (Campylorhynchus megalopterus)
Stripe-backed wren (Campylorhynchus nuchalis)
Fasciated wren (Campylorhynchus fasciatus)
Giant wren (Campylorhynchus chiapensis)
Bicolored wren (Campylorhynchus griseus)
Veracruz wren (Campylorhynchus rufinucha)
Sclater's wren (Campylorhynchus humilis)
Rufous-backed wren (Campylorhynchus capistratus)
Spotted wren (Campylorhynchus gularis)
Yucatan wren (Campylorhynchus yucatanicus)
Boucard's wren (Campylorhynchus jocosus)
Cactus wren (Campylorhynchus brunneicapillus)
Thrush-like wren (Campylorhynchus turdinus)
Grey-mantled wren (Odontorchilus branickii)
Genus Odontorchilus
Grey-mantled wren (Odontorchilus branickii)
Tooth-billed wren (Odontorchilus cinereus)
Rock wren (Salpinctes obsoletus)
Genus Salpinctes
Rock wren (Salpinctes obsoletus)
Canyon wren (Catherpes mexicanus)
Genus Catherpes
Canyon wren (Catherpes mexicanus)
Genus Hylorchilus
Sumichrast's wren (Hylorchilus sumichrasti)
Nava's wren (Hylorchilus navai)
Genus Cinnycerthia
Rufous wren (Cinnycerthia unirufa)
Sepia-brown wren (Cinnycerthia olivascens)
Peruvian wren (Cinnycerthia peruana)
Fulvous wren (Cinnycerthia fulva)
Genus Cistothorus
Sedge wren (Cistothorus stellaris)
Mérida wren or paramo wren (Cistothorus meridae)
Apolinar's wren (Cistothorus apolinari)
Grass wren (Cistothorus platensis)
Marsh wren (Cistothorus palustris)
Bewick's wren (Thryomanes bewickii)
Genus Thryomanes
Bewick's wren (Thryomanes bewickii)
Genus Ferminia
Zapata wren (Ferminia cerverai)
Black-throated wren (Pheugopedius atrogularis)
Happy wren (Pheugopedius felix)
Genus Pheugopedius (formerly included in Thryothorus)
Black-throated wren (Pheugopedius atrogularis)
Sooty-headed wren (Pheugopedius spadix)
Black-bellied wren (Pheugopedius fasciatoventris)
Plain-tailed wren (Pheugopedius euophrys)
Inca wren (Pheugopedius eisenmanni)
Moustached wren (Pheugopedius genibarbis)
Whiskered wren (Pheugopedius mystacalis)
Coraya wren (Pheugopedius coraya)
Happy wren (Pheugopedius felix)
Spot-breasted wren (Pheugopedius maculipectus)
Rufous-breasted wren (Pheugopedius rutilus)
Speckle-breasted wren (Pheugopedius sclateri)
Genus Thryophilus (formerly included in Thryothorus)
Banded wren (Thryophilus pleurostictus)
Rufous-and-white wren (Thryophilus rufalbus)
Antioquia wren (Thryophilus sernai)
Niceforo's wren (Thryophilus nicefori)
Sinaloa wren (Thryophilus sinaloa)
Bay wren (Cantorchilus nigricapillus)
Long-billed wren (Cantorchilus longirostris)
Genus Cantorchilus (formerly included in Thryothorus)
Cabanis's wren (Cantorchilus modestus)
Canebrake wren (Cantorchilus zeledoni)
Isthmian wren (Cantorchilus elutus)
Buff-breasted wren (Cantorchilus leucotis) (probably not monophyletic)
Superciliated wren (Cantorchilus superciliaris)
Fawn-breasted wren (Cantorchilus guarayanus)
Long-billed wren (Cantorchilus longirostris)
Grey wren (Cantorchilus griseus)
Riverside wren (Cantorchilus semibadius)
Bay wren (Cantorchilus nigricapillus)
Stripe-breasted wren (Cantorchilus thoracicus)
Stripe-throated wren (Cantorchilus leucopogon)
Genus Thryothorus
Carolina wren (Thryothorus ludovicianus)
White-browed wren (Thryothorus (ludovicianus) albinucha)
Southern house wren (Troglodytes aedon musculus)
Eurasian wren (Troglodytes troglodytes)
Genus Troglodytes (10–15 species, depending on taxonomy; includes species sometimes considered to be in the genus Nannus, which may be distinct)[16]
Eurasian wren (Troglodytes troglodytes)
Winter wren (Troglodytes hiemalis)
Pacific wren (Troglodytes pacificus)
Clarión wren (Troglodytes tanneri)
House wren (Troglodytes aedon)
Cobb's wren (Troglodytes cobbi)
Socorro wren (Troglodytes sissonii)
Rufous-browed wren (Troglodytes rufociliatus)
Ochraceous wren (Troglodytes ochraceus)
Mountain wren (Troglodytes solstitialis)
Santa Marta wren (Troglodytes monticola)
Tepui wren (Troglodytes rufulus)
Genus Thryorchilus
Timberline wren (Thryorchilus browni)
Genus Uropsila
White-bellied wren (Uropsila leucogastra)
Genus Henicorhina (wood wrens)
White-breasted wood wren (Henicorhina leucosticta)
Grey-breasted wood wren (Henicorhina leucophrys)
Hermit wood wren (Henicorhina anachoreta) – split from H. leucophrys
Bar-winged wood wren (Henicorhina leucoptera)
Munchique wood wren (Henicorhina negreti)
Genus Microcerculus
Northern nightingale-wren (Microcerculus philomela)
Southern nightingale-wren (Microcerculus marginatus)
Flutist wren (Microcerculus ustulatus)
Wing-banded wren (Microcerculus bambla)
Genus Cyphorhinus
Chestnut-breasted wren (Cyphorhinus thoracicus)
Musician wren (Cyphorhinus arada)
Song wren (Cyphorhinus phaeocephalus)
Relationship with humans
The wren features prominently in culture. The Eurasian wren has been long considered "the king of birds" in Europe.[17] Killing one or harassing its nest is associated with bad luck, such as broken bones, lightning strikes on homes, or injury to cattle. Wren Day, celebrated in parts of Ireland on St. Stephen's Day (26 December), features a fake wren being paraded around town on a decorative pole; up to the 20th century, real birds were hunted for this purpose.[18] A possible origin for the tradition is revenge for the betrayal of Saint Stephen by a noisy wren when he was trying to hide from enemies in a bush.[19]
The Carolina wren (Thryothorus ludovicianus) has been the state bird of South Carolina since 1948, and features on the back of its state quarter.[20][21] The British farthing featured a wren on the reverse side from 1937 until its demonetisation in 1960. The Cactus wren (Campylorhynchus brunneicapillus) was designated the state bird of Arizona in 1931.[22]
The South Carolina state quarter (left) and British farthing (right) both feature wrens
South Carolina state quarter
British farthing
References
"21 Facts on Wren - Tweetapedia - Living with Birds". www.livingwithbirds.com. Retrieved 2020-07-17.
Kroodsma, Donald; Brewer, David (2005), "Family Troglodytidae (Wrens)", in del Hoyo, Josep; Elliott, Andrew; Christie, David (eds.), Handbook of the Birds of the World. Volume 10, Cuckoo-shrikes to Thrushes, Barcelona: Lynx Edicions, pp. 356–447, ISBN 84-87334-72-5
Kluge-Lutz, English Etymology tentatively suggest association with Old High German (w)renno "stallion", but Suolahti (1909) rejects this as unlikely.
"It goes by the nickname of 'old man' or 'king'; and the story goes that for this reason the eagle is at war with him." http://etext.virginia.edu/
"Pliny the Elder, the Natural History, BOOK X. THE NATURAL HISTORY OF BIRDS., CHAP. 95. (74.)—ANTIPATHIES OF ANIMALS. PROOFS THAT THEY ARE SENSIBLE OF FRIENDSHIP AND OTHER AFFECTIONS".
"The roiall Ægle hateth the Wren, and why? because (if we may beleeve it) he is named Regulus, [i. the petie-king.]" http://penelope.uchicago.edu/holland/pliny10.html
Suolahti, Viktor Hugo (1909). Die deutschen Vogelnamen: eine wortgeschichtliche Untersuchung (in German). Strassbourg: Karl J Trbner. pp. 80–85.
βασιλεύς. Liddell, Henry George; Scott, Robert; A Greek–English Lexicon at the Perseus Project.
βασιλίσκος in Liddell and Scott.
Arnott, William Geoffrey (2007). Birds in the ancient world from A to Z. Abingdon: Routledge. p. 35. ISBN 978-0-415-23851-9.
Cocker, Mark; Mabey, Richard (2005). Birds Britannica. London: Chatto & Windus. p. 232. ISBN 978-0-7011-6907-7.
Harper, Douglas. "troglodyte". Online Etymology Dictionary.
Perrins, C. (1991). Forshaw, Joseph (ed.). Encyclopaedia of Animals: Birds. London: Merehurst Press. p. 190. ISBN 1-85391-186-0.
Oliveros, C. H.; et al. (2019). "Earth history and the passerine superradiation". Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States. 116 (16): 7916–7925. doi:10.1073/pnas.1813206116. PMC 6475423. PMID 30936315.
Alström, Per; Ericson, Per G. P.; Olsson, Urban; Sundberg, Per (2006). "Phylogeny and classification of the avian superfamily Sylvioidea". Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution. 38 (2): 381–97. doi:10.1016/j.ympev.2005.05.015. PMID 16054402.
Albrecht, Frederik; Hering, Jens; Fuchs, Elmar; Illera, Juan Carlos; Ihlow, Flora; Shannon, Thomas J.; Collinson, J. Martin; Wink, Michael; Martens, Jochen; Päckert, Martin (2020). "Phylogeny of the Eurasian Wren Nannus troglodytes (Aves: Passeriformes: Troglodytidae) reveals deep and complex diversification patterns of Ibero-Maghrebian and Cyrenaican populations". PLOS ONE. 15 (3): e023015. Bibcode:2020PLoSO..1530151A. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0230151. PMC 7082076. PMID 32191719.
Frazer, James George (1922). "Chapter 54. Types of Animal Sacrament". The Golden Bough: A Study in Magic and Religion. New York: Macmillan.
Lawrence, Elizabeth Atwood (1997). Hunting the Wren: Transformation of Bird to Symbol: a Study in Human-animal Relationships. Knoxville: University of Tennessee Press. ISBN 9780870499609.
Eveleth, Rose (26 December 2012). "The Irish Used to Celebrate The Day After Christmas by Killing Wrens". Smithsonian Magazine. Retrieved 27 January 2016.
"South Carolina State Bird – Thryrothorus ludovicianus". NetState. Retrieved 27 January 2016.
"The Official South Carolina State Quarter". TheUS50. Retrieved 27 January 2016.
"Arizona State Bird – Campylorhynchus brunneicapillus couesi". NetState. September 3, 2017. Retrieved July 10, 2020.
Mann, Nigel I.; Barker, F. Keith; Graves, Jeff A.; Dingess-Mann, Kimberly A.; Slater, Peter J. B. (2006). "Molecular data delineate four genera of "Thryothorus" wrens". Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution. 40 (3): 750–759. doi:10.1016/j.ympev.2006.04.014. PMID 16750640.
Martínez Gómez, Juan E.; Barber, Bruian R.; Peterson, A. Townsend (2005). "Phylogenetic position and generic placement of the Socorro Wren (Thryomanes sissonii)" (PDF). Auk. 122 (1): 50–56. doi:10.1642/0004-8038(2005)122[0050:PPAGPO]2.0.CO;2. hdl:1808/16612. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2008-12-17. Retrieved 2007-02-22. [English with Spanish abstract]
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