The Winter Wren is a plump round ball with a stubby tail that it usually holds straight up. Its bill is small and thin, in keeping with its diminutive appearance.

The winter wren (Troglodytes hiemalis) is a very small North American bird and a member of the mainly New World wren family Troglodytidae. The species contained the congeneric Pacific wren (Troglodytes pacificus) of western North America and Eurasian wren (Troglodytes troglodytes) of Eurasia until they were split in 2010. [2]

Audubon’s scientists have used 140 million bird observations and sophisticated climate models to project how climate change will affect the range of the Winter Wren. Learn even more in our Audubon’s Survival By Degrees project.

In the tangled understory of eastern forests, a tiny ball of energy lets loose with a rich cascade of bubbly notes. This songster is none other than the Winter Wren, shaking as it sings its astoundingly loud song. It sports a palette of browns with dark barring on the wings, tail, and belly.

One of the smallest wrens in North America, the inconspicuous Winter Wren is easy to mistake for a mouse as it creeps about its favored forest and riparian habitats. Patient observers will eventually catch sight of a tiny brown ball of a bird with barred flanks, a pale “eyebrow,” and a stubby, erect tail.

Learn more about Winter Wren from… Tiny, short-tailed, plain-brown wren with a huge voice. Subtly patterned, with indistinct pale eyebrow and diffuse dark barring on flanks and wings. Constantly keeps tail cocked at an angle.

Winter Wrens use evergreen forests with spruce, fir, and hemlock as well as deciduous forests. They are more common in old-growth evergreen and deciduous forests than in younger forests stands. In winter, they move south or to lower elevations with milder temperatures.

Winter Wren and Rock Wren. Read more about these species in our Bird Guide: Winter Wren, Rock Wren. The extent of the migratory movements of this diminutive bird, is certainly the most remarkable fact connected with its history.

Winter Wren Range, habitat, physical description, reproduction, lifespan, behavior, communication, food habits, predation, and conservation status. Includes photos.

Winter Wrens are found in eastern US states in winter and northeastern US states, and Canada in summer. Look for Winter Wrens hidden in tangled undergrowth in forests and backyards. They eat insects and spiders by rummaging through fallen leaves and decaying bark.