The Winter Wren & Its Story

I love all birds, but I have to say the Winter Wren (Troglodytes troglodytes) is at the top of my favorites list.  It is the smallest wren in North America.  It measures 3.25 inches from the tip of its thin, pointed bill to the tip of its tail., and has a 5 to 6 inch wingspan. There is a dull band over its eye, but it is a light brown and does not stand out like a white band would.  The rest of its body goes from gray-brown to browns with black bars on its wings, back, and tail.  The sexes look alike.  When you see one from a distance, it looks like a small dusky brown bird.  The Winter Wren’s food is made up mostly of insects and spiders.

The Winter Wren’s tail, which is usually standing straight up, is very short and twice as long as it is wide.  The bird most likely to be confused with it is the House Wren.   The House Wren, however, is larger (4.25 inches), and its tail is three times longer than it is wide.  The Winter Wren is the only wren found outside of the Americas.  One hypothesis feels the Winter Wren may have reached the Old World by crossing over the Bering Straits during an interglacial period.   Unfortunately, loss of old-growth coniferous habitat in western North America poses a threat there for this wonderful bird.

The Winter Wren is said to be mouse-like as it creeps through the low, dense tangles of branches that cover the forest floor.  Its well-hidden nest is one of the hardest to find.  Even if you narrow down the wren’s nesting area, this wren hides its nest so well, few people have ever seen one.   They became named Winter Wrens because they are found in the southern states during the wintertime.   A very few may winter in the north, but they usually migrate southward.  They will crowd into a nest box, sometimes more than two dozen of them, to keep warm during cold spells.  This not the only unique fact about this bird.  The Winter Wren’s song is notably amazing.

When it’s song is played back at half, or quarter speed, it reveals an amazing blend of halftones and overtones all sung at the very same time!   The Winter Wren’s song is 10 times more powerful than the crowing of a rooster.  What is even more amazing is that the Winter Wren living in the western part of North America has about 36 notes per second compared to the eastern song that has 16 notes per second.  The song is a continuous stream of melodious trills lasting for up to 10 seconds.  When you hear the song yourself in the wild, I assure you that you will never forget it.

There is a Haudenosaunee legend that tells how the Hermit Thrush won the best song during a contest set up by the Creator.  My grandmother told my mother, who told me that the legend as told to her by her father,  is actually about the Winter Wren.  The story tells about how the bird who could reach the Sky World would get the best song from the Creator.   After almost all the birds had tried and failed to reach the Sky World, it was the Eagle’s turn.  He soared higher and higher, but was getting tired, when all of a sudden a tiny bird (the Winter Wren) who had hidden in the Eagle’s neck feathers, burst out and up and reached the Sky world. 

Now while I do agree that the Hermit Thrushes’ song is very beautiful, if you heard the Winter Wren’s song, I think you would agree it is by far the best of all of the bird songs.   The story my great grandfather told to my grandmother also says the bird, because it won the song by trickery, was told it would sing this beautiful song in the deep woods where most humans would never get to hear it.  The Winter Wren’s song interestingly is only heard in the deep forests where it breeds and sings for a mate.  The Hermit Thrush song, on the other hand, can be heard near homes and at the wood’s edge. 

When I searched the Internet, most sites listing this story, called it a Hermit Thrush, but a few sites I found about the Winter Wren really peaked my curiosity.  According to these other sites, in many parts of the world, especially in Europe, a story is told about how the Winter Wren became the King of the Birds.  In that story, the birds hold a contest to see who gets to be their leader.  The bird who could fly the highest would win the honor. 

The Winter Wren in their stories tells how the wren hid in the Eagle’s neck, and when the Eagle could fly no higher, the tiny wren  emerged from the Eagle’s feathers and flew above the tired Eagle winning the contest to become the leader.  According to these sites, this story like our own story, shows that you do not always have to be big and strong to reach your goals, but in our story, it also sends the message that you must realize that how you do it may come with some consequences.  Consequences like the Winter Wren who was doomed to forever sing the most beautiful song in the deep forest where not too many people will ever hear and enjoy it’s wonderful sound.

If you would like to hear the Winter Wren’s song, and if you have a computer, go to http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jo0QVThca3U .