| Cactus
Wren |
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Cactus Wren (Campylorhynchus
brunneicapillus)
By Tracy D. McCarthey, Nongame Biologist |
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 Scientific
Name:
The genus Campylorhynchus is derived from Greek words meaning curved beak.
The specific epithet is derived from the Latin brunneus meaning brown and
capillus meaning hair, in reference to the wren's brown cap and back.
Description:
Largest wren in United States; 7-9 inches long. Both sexes with dull, rusty
crown, streaked back, heavily spotted breast, tawny-colored sides and belly;
wing and tail feathers barred black and white (showing a white tail band
in flight); conspicuous broad white stripe over eye. No differences between
breeding and nonbreeding plumage. The tail is not usually held cocked as
in most other wrens. Juveniles resemble adults but have lighter, smaller
chest spots and shorter tails. The song is a low raspy cha cha cha cha
cha, very reminiscent of a car's engine trying to turn over on a cold winter
day. |
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Habitat:
Desert areas with taller cacti (especially cholla), or arid hillsides and
valleys with other thorny plants capable of supporting their bulky
nests. The cactus wren is abundant below 4,000 feet in Arizona, but
has been found up to 6,000 feet in New Mexico. |
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Distribution:
Ranges from southern California, southern Nevada, southwest Utah, central
New Mexico, and central and southern Texas to central Mexico. Year-round
resident in southern, western, and central Arizona in deserts with
thorny vegetation. |
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Biology:
The cactus wren is an active, inquisitive, and adaptable bird found commonly
in most Arizona deserts, making it an appropriate choice for the state
bird. The female selects the nest site; the nest is often placed in
cholla, but also in other cacti and thorny trees and shrubs such as
mesquite, ironwood, paloverde, and catclaw acacia. Both the male and
female build the nest.
The cactus wren's nest is a large, conspicuous, spherical structure usually
built with dry grasses and annual plants; strips of discarded paper and
cloth found along roadsides are frequently woven in. A long, narrow-sided
passage into an internal chamber, as well as the thorny substrate, protects
this nest from most predators, although eggs and nestlings are frequently
taken by coachwhips and whipsnakes in Arizona. As with most wren nests,
the nest chamber is usually lined with feathers. In Arizona, Gambel's quail
feathers seem to make up the bulk of the lining (a related species, the
masked bobwhite, was once thought to be extinct but was rediscovered in
Sonora, Mexico, a few decades ago after biologists found its feathers in
cactus wren nests and began searching for it). The female cactus wren incubates,
starting with the first egg, while the male builds a new nest in preparation
for a second clutch. Additional nest structures are constructed and used
as roosts throughout the year. The roost nests often lack the feather lining.
During wet winters, breeding season begins as early as late February, allowing
time for double and sometimes triple broods. A young cactus wren takes
16 days to hatch and another 19-23 days to fledge; it will remain dependent
on the parents for food for approximately 30 days after leaving the nest.
A cactus wren often forages for food by overturning moveable objects on
the ground with its large curved bill, capturing creatures hiding underneath.
Its diet includes ants, beetles, grasshoppers, wasps, fruits, seeds, and
an occasional treefrog or lizard. |
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Status:
The cactus wren is not included on the Department's draft list of Wildlife
of Special Concern in Arizona (AGFD in prep.), nor is it listed or
proposed for listing by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service as endangered
or threatened. However, like all songbirds, it is protected by the
Migratory Bird Treaty Act. |
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Management Needs:
No immediate management is needed for the cactus wren. This species is
common and conspicuous over most of its historical range, even occurring
in urban settings, especially those planted with native desert vegetation. |
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