The Introduction Article is just the first of 11 articles in each species account that provide life history information for the species. The remaining articles provide detailed information regarding distribution, migration, habitat, diet, sounds, behavior, breeding, current population status and conservation. Each species account also includes a multimedia section that displays the latest photos, audio selections and videos from Macaulay Library’s extensive galleries. Written and continually updated by acknowledged experts on each species, Birds of North America accounts include a comprehensive bibliography of published research on the species.
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Recently split from the Winter Wren, the Pacific Wren is a largely resident small wren of the humid West. Identification criteria are still evolving, and the best way to distinguish the two species is the differences in song and calls. Pacific Wrens also average more rufescent overall, and have less patterned black and white flanks and flight feathers. Throat color is generally more rufous than the white of Winter Wren, but there is variation. The following is a link to this photographer's website: http://www.glennbartley.com/gallery.htm.
From beneath the tangles and fallen trees, darting back-and-forth in the moist and mossy understory, the Pacific Wren sings loudly from its favourite perches and “seems as much a part of the forest floor as the mosses, huckleberry vines, huge logs, and upturned roots of his surroundings” (
Taylor, W. P. and W. T. Shaw. (1927). Mammals and birds of Mount Rainier National Park. Nat Park Service of US Dept Int.
Taylor and Shaw 1927). A superb songster—the “pinnacle of song complexity” (
Kroodsma, D. E. (1980). Winter Wren singing behavior: a pinnacle of song complexity. Condor 82:357-365.
Kroodsma 1980)—it is more often heard than seen. It is a small, brown, cryptically-colored wren that generally inhabits dark, moist coniferous forests in western North America, although it can be found breeding on cliff faces on treeless islands of Alaska and the Aleutians.
Until recently the Pacific Wren, the Winter Wren (Troglodytes hiemalis) in eastern North America, and the Eurasian Wren (or “the Wren” in Europe; T. troglodytes) were together recognized as a single species. Patterns of genetics (
Drovetski, S. V., R. M. Zink, S. Rohwer, I. V. Fadeev, E. V. Nesterov, I. Karagodin, E. A. Koblik and Y. A. Red'kin. (2004). Complex biogeographic history of a Holarctic passerine. Proceedings of the Royal Society of London Series B-Biological Sciences 271 (1538):545-551.
Drovetski et al. 2004) and vocalizations (
Kroodsma, D. E. (1980). Winter Wren singing behavior: a pinnacle of song complexity. Condor 82:357-365.
Kroodsma 1980,
Kroodsma, D. E. and H. Momose. (1991). Songs of the Japanese population of the Winter Wren (Troglodytes troglodytes). Condor 93:424-432.
Kroodsma and Momose 1991,
Kroodsma, D. E. and D. Brewer. (2005). "Family Troglodytidae (wrens)." In Handbook of the birds of the world, edited by J. del Hoyo, A. Elliott and D. A. Christie, 356-447. Barcelona: Lynx Edicions.
Kroodsma and Brewer 2005,
Toews, D. P. L. and D. E. Irwin. (2008). Cryptic speciation in a Holarctic passerine revealed by genetic and bioacoustic analyses. Molecular Ecology 17 (11):2691-2705.
Toews and Irwin 2008) demonstrate, however, that the similarities in breeding plumage and morphometric traits conceal deep divides within this group. In particular, research from an area of range overlap between T. pacificus and T. hiemalis in western Canada indicates that the two are genetically and phenotypically distinct where they co-occur and that the strong differences noted in their song, which are maintained in this area of range contact, provide a potentially important reproductive barrier between the two (
Toews, D. P. L. and D. E. Irwin. (2008). Cryptic speciation in a Holarctic passerine revealed by genetic and bioacoustic analyses. Molecular Ecology 17 (11):2691-2705.
Toews and Irwin 2008).
The Pacific Wren breeds in temperate forests west of the eastern foothills of the Rocky Mountains, ranging from California and Utah to the southern coast of Alaska and the Aleutian Islands. There are seven currently recognized subspecies, two of which occur throughout its mainland distribution, with the rest of the subspecies inhabiting islands off the Alaskan coastline.
The species is unique among North American wrens in its association with old-growth forests. It uses old-growth structures (snags, root masses, downed trees, and the bases of large standing trees) for nesting, foraging, and roosting. Breeding territories are primarily found in forests along rivers and streams and, at least in the rainforests along the Pacific Coast, the presence of Pacific Wrens is correlated with riparian areas enriched with salmon-derived nutrients (
Field, R. D. and J. D. Reynolds. (2011). Sea to sky: Impacts of residual salmon-derived nutrients on estuarine breeding bird communities. Proceedings of the Royal Society B-Biological Sciences 278 (1721):3081-3088.
Field and Reynolds 2011). Clear-cutting and some types of partial logging reduce habitat suitability for the Pacific Wren, which tends to avoid forest edges, and it is one of a number of species that is likely harmed by forest fragmentation in western North America (
Brand, L. A. and T. L. George. (2001). Response of passerine birds to forest edge in coast redwood forest fragments. Auk 118 (3):678-686.
Brand and George 2001). Based on habitat change from pre-settlement times, Pacific Wren numbers are estimated to have declined in some regions
Raphael, M. G., K. V. Rosenberg and B. G. Marot. (1988). Large-scale changes in bird populations of Douglas-fir forests, northwestern California. Bird Conserv. 3:63-83.
Raphael et al. 1988) and many recent trends (from 1999–2009) indicate some populations in Washington and British Columbia are decreasing (
Sauer, J. R., J. E. Hines, J. E. Fallon, K. L. Pardieck, Jr., D. J. Ziolkowski, and W. A. Link. 2011. The North American breeding bird survey, results and analysis 1966-2010 (Version 12.07.2011b). USGS Patuxent Wildlife Research Center, Laurel, MD, USA.
Sauer et al. 2011b). Most monitoring methods are not particularly well suited for tracking Pacific Wren numbers and questions remain about how habitat alteration and future climate change will affect this species (
McRae, B. H., N. H. Schumaker, R. B. McKane, R. T. Busing, A. M. Solomon and C. A. Burdick. (2008). A multi-model framework for simulating wildlife population response to land-use and climate change. Ecological Modelling 219 (1-2):77-91.
McRae et al. 2008). Further research is recommended to address these questions as well as a number of other knowledge gaps.
Thorough studies have been conducted on the Pacific Wren in North America, including:
Rice, N. H., A. T. Peterson and G. Escalona-Segura. (1999b). Phylogenetic patterns in montane Troglodytes wrens. Condor 101:446-451.
Rice et al. 1999b,
Drovetski, S. V., R. M. Zink, S. Rohwer, I. V. Fadeev, E. V. Nesterov, I. Karagodin, E. A. Koblik and Y. A. Red'kin. (2004). Complex biogeographic history of a Holarctic passerine. Proceedings of the Royal Society of London Series B-Biological Sciences 271 (1538):545-551.
Drovetski et al. 2004, Gomez et al. 2005, and
Toews, D. P. L. and D. E. Irwin. (2008). Cryptic speciation in a Holarctic passerine revealed by genetic and bioacoustic analyses. Molecular Ecology 17 (11):2691-2705.
Toews and Irwin 2008 on systematics;
Kroodsma, D. E. (1980). Winter Wren singing behavior: a pinnacle of song complexity. Condor 82:357-365.
Kroodsma 1980,
Van Horne, B. (1995). Assessing vocal variety in the Winter Wren, a bird with a complex repertoire. Condor 97:39-49.
Van Horne 1995, and
Toews, D. P. L. and D. E. Irwin. (2008). Cryptic speciation in a Holarctic passerine revealed by genetic and bioacoustic analyses. Molecular Ecology 17 (11):2691-2705.
Toews and Irwin 2008 on song;
Mclachlin, R. A. (1983). Dispersion of the Western Winter Wren (Troglodytes troglodytes) in the coastal western hemlock forest at the University of British Columbia Research Forest in southwestern British Columbia. Phd Thesis, Univ. of British Columbia, Vancouver.
Mclachlin 1983,
Van Horne, B. and A. Bader. (1990). Diet of nestling Winter Wrens in relationship to food availability. Condor 92:413-420.
Van Horne and Bader 1990, and
Field, R. D. and J. D. Reynolds. (2011). Sea to sky: Impacts of residual salmon-derived nutrients on estuarine breeding bird communities. Proceedings of the Royal Society B-Biological Sciences 278 (1721):3081-3088.
Field and Reynolds 2011 on food habits;
Heath, H. (1920). The nesting habits of the Alaska Wren. Condor 22:49-55.
Heath 1920,
Bent, A. C. (1948). Life histories of North American nuthatches, wrens, thrashers, and their allies. U.S. Natl. Mus. Bull. 195.
Bent 1948b,
Mclachlin, R. A. (1983). Dispersion of the Western Winter Wren (Troglodytes troglodytes) in the coastal western hemlock forest at the University of British Columbia Research Forest in southwestern British Columbia. Phd Thesis, Univ. of British Columbia, Vancouver.
Mclachlin 1983,
Waterhouse, F. L. (1998). Habitat of Winter Wrens in riparian and upland areas of coastal forests. Master's Thesis, Simon Fraser Univ., Vancouver, BC.
Waterhouse 1998,
Willson, M. F. and S. M. Gende. (2000). Nesting success of forest birds in southeast Alaska and adjacent Canada. Condor 102:314-325.
Willson and Gende 2000,
Waterhouse, F. L., A. S. Harestad and P. K. Ott. (2002a). Use of small streams and forest gaps for breeding habitats by Winter Wrens in coastal British Columbia. Northwest Science 76 (4):335-346.
Waterhouse et al. 2002a, De Santo et al. 2003 and Evans Ogden et al. (in press) on breeding biology, behavior, and habitat use; and numerous community studies examining the effects of timber harvesting on Pacific Wrens, especially
Rosenberg, K. V. and M. G. Raphael. (1986). "Effects of forest fragmentation on vertebrates in Douglas-fir forests." In Wildlife 2000: modeling habitat relationships of terrestrial vertebrates., edited by J. Verner, M. L. Morrison and C. J. Ralph, 263-272. Madison: Univ. of Wisconsin Press.
Rosenberg and Raphael 1986,
Lehmkuhl, J. F., L. F. Ruggiero and P. A. Hall. (1991). Landscape-scale patterns of forest fragmentation and wildlife richness and abundance in the southern Washington Cascade Range. Portland, OR: U.S. Dep. Agric.
Lehmkuhl et al. 1991,
Hejl, S. J. and L. C. Paige. (1994). "A preliminary assessment of birds in continuous and fragmented forests of western redcedar/western hemlock in northern Idaho." In Interior cedar-hemlock-white pine forests: ecology and management., edited by D. M. Baumgartner, J. E. Lotan and J. R. Tonn, 189-197. 1993. Washington State Univ., Pullman: Spokane, WA.
Hejl and Paige 1994,
Mcgarigal, K. and W. C. McComb. (1995). Relationship between landscape structure and breeding birds in the Oregon Coast Range. Ecol. Monogr. 65:235-260.
Mcgarigal and McComb 1995,
Hutto, R. L. and J. S. Young. (1999). Habitat relationships of landbirds in the Northern Region. U.S. For. Serv.
Hutto and Young 1999,
Brand, L. A. and T. L. George. (2001). Response of passerine birds to forest edge in coast redwood forest fragments. Auk 118 (3):678-686.
Brand and George 2001, and
McRae, B. H., N. H. Schumaker, R. B. McKane, R. T. Busing, A. M. Solomon and C. A. Burdick. (2008). A multi-model framework for simulating wildlife population response to land-use and climate change. Ecological Modelling 219 (1-2):77-91.
McRae et al. 2008.
Recommended Citation
Toews, D. P. L. and D. E. Irwin (2012). Pacific Wren (Troglodytes pacificus), version 2.0. In The Birds of North America (A. F. Poole, Editor). Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Ithaca, NY, USA. Retrieved from Birds of North America: https://birdsna.org/Species-Account/bna/species/pacwre1