Canyon Wren Gallery
Catherpes mexicanus
eBird describes the Canyon Wren this way: Subtly beautiful wren found in picturesque canyonlands and rocky outcroppings of the western U.S. and Mexico. Exceptional songster most often located by rich cascading song, or harsh call notes. Rich orangey-brown body with tiny black-and-white spots, bright white throat, and thin decurved bill. Most similar to Rock Wren; note more contrasting white throat. Almost always on the ground or cliffs, running up and down rocks, repeatedly disappearing from view only to suddenly pop up atop a lookout. Feeds on insects. Nests in crevice or under ledge on cliff. All About Birds adds this descriptive information about the Canyon Wren: A tiny bird with a big voice, the Canyon Wren sings a gorgeous series of sweet, cascading whistles that echo off the rocky walls of its canyon habitat. Canyon Wrens are incredibly agile birds that hunt for insects mostly among rocks, scaling cliff faces and using their long, slender bills to probe into crevices with surgical precision. They are a rich cinnamon-brown, with a salt-and-pepper pattern on the head and a neat white throat patch.
On September 1, 2020, I was sitting on the end of Skyline Drive in Davis Mountains State Park looking for quail when I saw and photographed this diminutive bird hopping around a large pile of boulders. Wish I could have gotten a better look at this bird!
“Cool Facts” about the Canyon Wren from All About Birds…
- The vertebral column of the Canyon Wren is attached higher on the skull than it is on most birds. This modification, along with a slightly flattened skull, allows a Canyon Wren to probe for food in tight crevices without bumping its head.
- The Canyon Wren is not known to drink water. It probably gets all the water it needs from its insect prey. It has been seen foraging along the sides of desert springs but not drinking.
- Canyon Wrens sometimes steal insects trapped in spiderwebs or stowed in wasp nests.
- White-throated Swifts sometimes nest on the same cliff walls as Canyon Wrens. Researchers in Arizona discovered that swifts respond aggressively when they hear Canyon Wrens. The swifts called loudly or divebombed the singer—suggesting the swifts see Canyon Wrens as a threat, in the same manner that House Wrens sometimes raid nests of other bird species.
- The oldest recorded Canyon Wren was a female at least 4 years, 10 months old when she was recaptured and rereleased during banding operations in Arizona in 2015.