Cactus Wren Gallery

Campylorhynchus brunneicapillus

eBird provides this brief description of the Cactus Wren:  Large wren, with bold white eyebrow and dense spots on the breast. Aptly named, this wren rarely strays from desert scrub or coastal sagebrush scrub. Builds large, oval nest of sticks. Listen for harsh, grating call.  All About Birds gives this additional descriptive information:  No bird exemplifies Southwestern deserts better than the noisy Cactus Wren. At all hours of the day they utter a raw scratchy noise that sounds like they are trying to start a car. Cactus Wrens are always up to something, whether hopping around on the ground, fanning their tails, scolding their neighbors, or singing from the tops of cacti. They build nests the size and shape of footballs which they use during the breeding and nonbreeding season. Cactus Wrens are true desert dwellers; they can survive without needing to drink freestanding water.

I saw my first Cactus Wren at Kickapoo Cavern State Park on Sunday Morning, August 30, 2020.  The Cactus Wren was briefly perched on the water trough near the blind.  The next day, while walking the perimeter of the Christmas Mountains Oasis, I spotted a Cactus Wren perched high on the stalk of a desert plant.  I hope to see more of these birds in the future!

Cactus Wren at Kickapoo Caverns State Park, August 30, 2020.
Another pic of the Cactus Wren I watched at Kickapoo Caverns State Park.
The Cactus Wren I spotted at Christmas Mountains Oasis on 9-1-2020.
One more pic of the Cactus Wren I briefly watched at Christmas Mountains Oasis on 9-1-2020.


“Cool Facts” about the Cactus Wren from All About Birds…

  • Most birds only build nests during the breeding season and use them just for rearing their young, but male and female Cactus Wrens build multiple nests and use them as roosting sites even during the nonbreeding season.
  • Juvenile Cactus Wrens start building nests early in life. They imitate their parents by picking up nesting material as soon as 12 days after leaving the nest, but they don’t actually build their own nest until they’ve been out of the nest for about 63 days.
  • Adults often feed their nestlings grasshoppers, being careful to pluck off the wings before stuffing the insect into the chicks’ mouths. The parents need to pluck a lot of grasshopper wings; one nestling needs to eat at least 14 grasshoppers a day to meet its nutritional requirements.
  • The Cactus Wren destroys the nests of other bird species, pecking or removing their eggs, and can lower the breeding density of Verdins (another desert bird).
  • Cold desert nights may have more of an impact on the success of Cactus Wren breeding than extremely hot daytime temperature.
  • Cactus Wrens rarely drink water. Instead they get all their liquids from juicy insects and fruit.
  • The Cactus Wren is the state bird of Arizona.
  • The oldest recorded Cactus Wren was a male, and at least 8 years, 1 month old when it was identified in California by a leg band in 2013. It had been banded in the same state in 2006.
  • The Cactus Wren is an active mobber of nest predators. A pair was observed attacking a Yuma antelope squirrel so vigorously that the squirrel became impaled on the thorns of a cactus. The wrens continued to peck the squirrel until it was knocked to the ground where it escaped.
  • Before heading back to the nest for the night, many Cactus Wrens take a dust bath. Several species also take dust baths to help reduce feather parasites and keep feathers looking good.