Species guide
Southern House Wren: how to recognise it
A bird of North America and South America. Learn the marks that make it easy to identify, then practise with real photographs in Lore.
Practise with real photosAll species guides
Photo © elhoffa · CC BY-NC · iNaturalist · all photo credits
- Scientific name
- Troglodytes musculus
- Family
- Wrens
- Size
- About 11–13 cm
- Habitat
- Gardens, towns, scrub and open woodland
- Found in
- North America and South America
The key marks
A small, plain brown wren with a thin bill, faint barring on wings and tail, and a cocked tail.
Voice
A bubbling, cheerful song of rapid trills.
Good to know
It nests in all sorts of holes, including gaps in walls, boxes and even old tins.
Where and when
You can expect to find it in gardens, towns, scrub and open woodland. It is especially common in Argentina, Panama and Colombia. Distribution changes with the seasons and from year to year, so check a recent local observation source before you go looking.