Pacific Wren

Happy Mug Monday 🥳!! Coming in hot this week we have the tiny, yet DAUNTING Pacific Wren (Troglodytes pacificus). This pocket-sized diva is a revered member of the legendary house of Troglodytidae, also known as the TRUE wrens. This performing house of birds is so influential that two other houses of wrens have formed, namely he Acanthisittidae (New Zealand wrens) and the Maluridae (Australian wrens). While all houses are superb at serving wren realness, only the members of Troglodytidae have the honor of calling themselves the TRUE wrens.

The Pacific Wren is a notable member of the house of Troglodytidae due to its GORGEOUS voice. While these divas are small (and might require you to pull out your binoculars, even when they take to center stage), their voice lets their presence be heard due to its sheer length and complexity. THAT'S RIGHT, not only are they not lipsyncing, but they're demonstrating an ability to sing for up to TEN seconds (!), deliver THIRTY SIX notes to your ear per second, AND throw up to FIFTY varying phrases in one song (Kroodsma 1980). Due to human activity (and our unquenchable need to drive loud, polluting cars), the songs of the Pacific Wren have been found to be longer near freeways as a way to compensate for increased noise pollution (Gough et al. 2014).

We're extremely lucky to have these talented birds here in the Pacific Northwest as they thrive within forests. You may not see one when you venture into a forested land, so be sure to keep your eyes close to the ground and listen for their impressive repertoire.