Cactus Wrens are easier to recognize with their speckled undersides, large bold eyebrow stripe, and large size. They are brown on the back with lots of streaking.
Cactus Wrens do not have an upright tail like most wrens. Instead, they fan their tails out to show the white tips.
- Campylorhynchus brunneicapillus
- Length: 7.1-8.7 in (18-22 cm)
- Weight: 1.1-1.7 oz (32-47 g)
Range
Cactus Wrens are residents in dry areas in southwestern states from California to Texas and Mexico.
Habitat And Diet
You can find Cactus Wrens, unusually for wrens, out in the open at the top of a cactus singing or eating the cactus fruit. They can also be seen on the ground hunting for insects and spiders by turning over leaves and other debris.
Cactus Wren Sounds:
They make a distinctive buzzy two-tone song that often rises in volume as it goes along.
Nests
Nests of Cactus Wrens are round-shaped with a small tunnel entrance in desert vegetation. They lay 2 – 7 eggs, which hatch in around two and a half weeks, and the chicks fledge in around three weeks.
Fun fact:
Cactus Wrens do not need to drink water, which is handy in the desert, and instead get all they need from insects and fruit.
