Bewick’s Wren

The Bewick’s wren (Thryomanes bewickii) is a wren of the Troglodytidae family, native to North America. The Bewick’s wren once had a range that extended throughout much of the United States and Mexico and parts of Canada. It used to be fairly common in the Midwest and in the Appalachian Mountains, but it is now extremely rare east of the Mississippi River. It is still found along the Pacific Coast from Baja California to British Columbia, in Mexico, and in a significant portion of the Southwest, including Texas, Arizona, New Mexico, and Oklahoma.

The preferred habitat of the Bewick’s wren is that of arid open woodlands and brush-filled areas such as hillsides and uplands, but will reside in humid areas locally. They are more common than house wrens in drier habitats, such as those found in the Southwest. In California, Bewick’s wrens inhabit chaparral areas.

Bewick’s wrens are insect eaters. They glean insects and insect eggs from vegetation, including the trunks of trees. They typically do not feed on vegetation higher than 3 meters, but they will forage on the ground.

Bewick’s wrens will visit backyard feeders. They will eat suet, peanut hearts, hulled sunflower seeds, and mealworms. Like many insect-eating birds, the Bewick’s wren widens its diet to include seeds in the winter.