wren

(pronunciation: the letter ‘w’ is silent)

a kind of bird – song bird – insectivore (= feeds mostly on insects) – diurnal (= active during day) – small but stocky body in grey, brown, black and white feathers – most species with spots or bars, with cone-shaped head, small eyes, relatively long, slender beak (bill), short neck, short wings, long, thin legs and toes, moderately long tail; size: the smallest – white-bellied wren – 4 inches in length and 9-10 grams in weight, the largest – giant wren – 9-10 inches long and 50 grams in weight; feeds on (eats) mostly insects and spiders, and plant matter – fruit, vegetable matter, etc., and occasionally, some large species, lizards; lives for 6-7 years; 80 species, found in the Americas, and (one species) in Europe and Asia

the tail cocked up

male ~~ cock

female ~~ jenny; jennywren

baby ~~ chick

group ~~ herd; flock

voice (call) ~~ {no particular name} trill, whistle

home ~~ nest

(Fairy wren male (L) & female (R) — not true wrens)

The small song birds (about 27 species) that are called ‘wren’, ‘fairy wren’, in Australia and New Zealand, and the ones called ‘ant-wren’ and ‘wren-babbler’ do not belong to the ‘true’ wren family.

Special Features:
The ‘cactus wren’ is the state bird of Arizona; and the ‘Carolina wren’ is the state bird of South Carolina, USA.

Though they are small birds, wrens are noted for their loud calls. A wren gives out its song (voice) 10 times more powerfully than a full-grown rooster (cock) crows! (A wren may be anywhere between 4-10 inches in length and 9-50 grams in weight, while a rooster is 1-3 feet in length and 500 grams to 2½ Kg. in weight!)

(wren’s nest)

Several species of wren hold their medium-sized (stubby in some species) tails upright (erect) and flick them quite often; and most of the wrens sleep on the ground!

A male wren builds several dome-shaped nests, called ‘cock nests’ from which its paired female chooses only one, and lines the nest with feathers!

The wren is a popular song bird. It is so popular that some countries have its pictures on their postal stamps.

Figures of Speech:

(a WREN of the WWII)

wren (noun) =

(a) a member of the former British ‘Women’s Royal Naval Service’ (not an acronym; but like a nickname)

(b) (an acronym – a word made from the first letter of a long name or phrase of many words) Women’s Rural Entrepreneurial Network, New Hampshire, USA

as weak as a wren

as dapper as a cock-wren (‘dapper’ = neatly dressed; very stylish)

wrens may prey where eagles dare not perch [said to point out that a common person has less restrictions than a famous person]

a wren in hand is better than a crane to be caught (‘wren’ = a small bird; ‘crane’ = a large bird) [a saying implying that even a small gain, profit or thing that is surely yours right now is far more valuable than a larger one you may or may not have in future]

Note: ‘Wren’ & ‘Wrens’, always with a capital ‘W’, if often found in the names of people, e.g. Alan Wren, M.K. Wren, Matthew Wren, Terry A. Wrens, etc. For an article that explains the origin of this word as a surname, please click here.

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