What to watch for in October: Charming, Loquacious Wrens
Here’s the Central Texas bird forecast for the month, courtesy of Travis Audubon. Learn more about Central Texas birds and bird-related events for all ages at travisaudubon.org or by calling 512-300-BIRD. Follow us at www.facebook.com/travisaudubon
Wrens are small to mid-sized songbirds in the bird family Troglodytidae. Their family name is from the Greek word troglodytes meaning cave dweller. It refers to wrens’ tendencies to forage for insects in dark nooks and narrow crevices. (To aid in this behavior their skulls are flattened and their bills are slender and curved.)
Wrens are a delightful part of the bird community, with loud voices and tails often cocked up. Eight of the nine wren species occurring in the Austin area are regularly seen in the right season. The ninth, the Cactus Wren, has not been recorded in Travis County in the last ten years.
Austin has three reliable year-round species of wrens, with Carolina and Bewick’s Wrens ubiquitous in backyards, parks and greenbelts. The Bewick’s prefers drier habitats and the Carolina favors moister spots although there is overlap, and some neighborhoods have both. They are different shades of brown. The Carolina has a reddish-brown back and cinnamon-orange underparts while the Bewick’s has a gray-brown back and grayish underparts. Both species sport white eyebrows. The Canyon Wren, a rufous-colored wren with a white throat, has a beautiful liquid, descending song. It is an uncommon resident in western Travis County, especially in canyons with vertical rock faces, where it is more often heard than seen. A good place to see one is at Bob Wentz Windy Point Park on Lake Travis. The Canyon Wrens favor the area just off the Point by the closed boat ramp where there is a steep dropoff, and by the covered pavilion on the park’s east side.
In the winter months several more wren species come to stay. The two most frequently encountered wintering wrens are the Northern House Wren and the Marsh Wren, both arriving now. Some will overwinter, while others will head further south. Both species leave for northern breeding grounds in May. To round out the nine wren species, Winter and Sedge Wrens are also winter visitors, while the Rock Wren is a possible breeder in isolated spots in western Travis County, with more showing up for the winter.
The Northern House Wren is somewhat secretive, although it will call attention to itself with churrs, rattles, and chatter in winter, and it occasionally will pop out to look for predators. It’s a drab, gray-brown small, slender bird. Unlike our resident Bewick’s and Carolina Wrens, it does not have a pronounced white eyebrow. It got the designation House Wren because it is often found foraging and nesting close to houses in summer, often using nest boxes. In winter, it likes brushy woodland edges with trees, shrubs and brushy tangles rather than more open areas.
The name Northern House Wren is quite a mouthful for a small inconspicuous bird. It became a new species in 2024, when the former House Wren was split into the Northern House Wren ranging across Canada, the U.S. and parts of Mexico and the Southern House Wren, to reflect significant differences in South American birds.
On their breeding grounds Northern House Wrens are aggressive, killing other cavity nesters like bluebirds, chickadees, Tree Swallows and other House Wrens. When it comes time for House Wrens to migrate north for the summer, listen for their beautiful gurgling songs that run up and down the scale. They also make a whiny meow sound that can be mistaken for the much larger Gray Catbird. Platt Lane at Hornsby Bend and the prairie edge at Commons Ford are good places to listen and look for one.
The Marsh Wren favors wetlands that have cattails or other vegetation like sedges and bulrushes. In the winter they also use tidal saltmarshes along the coast. (There are also resident Marsh Wrens on the upper and central Texas coast.) In Austin Marsh Wrens can be found in large ponds that have cattails, as well as along lakes with tall, emergent vegetation. Large retention ponds with vegetation provide possible habitat too. The classic pose for a Marsh Wren is straddling two different plant stalks as it looks around alertly, with its tail cocked up. Marsh Wrens sing a delightful choppy, staccato song. Some have been documented as having 200 songs in their repertoires.
On their breeding grounds, male Marsh Wrens make several dummy nests and the females choose one. Just like the Northern House Wrens, Marsh Wrens defend their nest territories aggressively, with eggs and nestlings of other species and other Marsh Wrens destroyed.
One of the best places in town to enjoy Marsh Wrens is at Southeast Greenway at Mueller across from the Morris Williams golf course. They seem to get more talkative as they get ready to migrate north in the spring.
Get outside with Cornell Lab’s free Merlin Bird ID app and see how many wren species you can identify!
Upcoming Travis Audubon Events
Check out the October calendar for an amazing variety of field trips, bird walks and classes to enjoy in the slightly cooler weather. Registration is usually required, and some activities fill quickly. Classes are fee-based including two new ones offered in the San Marcos area. Walks will take place at Commons Ford Ranch, Hornsby Bend, Reimers Ranch, the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center, Mueller, Roy Guerrero Park and a couple of Austin Public Libraries. Register in advance for the free Zoom talk on October 15 at 7 p.m. when Wenfei Tong of the Cornell Lab of Ornithology will speak on Bird Love: Why Identify with Birds.
Compiled by Jane Tillman, Travis Audubon Volunteer
Resources: All About Birds, Birds of the World, the Travis Audubon Seasonal Distribution Checklist, The Texas Breeding Bird Atlas, The Sibley Guide to Birds, The Texas Ornithological Society Handbook of Texas Birds, 2nd Edition by Lockwood and Freeman, and the Peterson Field Guide to Bird Sounds of Eastern North America by Nathan Pieplow.
