A family of 96 species of small brown songbirds with short, barred wings and tails often held upright. All live in the Americas except the Eurasian wren, which is found across Europe, Asia and North Africa. Most are hard to see but have loud songs.
Quick answers
What is it?Bird
Carnivore?Insects only
Dangerous?No
Domesticated?No
Awake when?Daytime
Hibernates?No
Kept as a pet?No
Do people eat it?No
At a glance
Found inEurope, Asia, North America, Central America, South America, Africa
ColoursBrown, Cream
SizeTiny
Length9–10 cm (Eurasian wren)
Legs2
Covered inFeathers
Lives alone
Lives for2–3 years
Can fly
Lays eggs
In the wild
- Where it lives
- The Americas, plus the Eurasian wren across Europe, Asia and North Africa.
- What it eats
- Insects, spiders and other small invertebrates; some also eat plants, frogs and lizards.
Did you know
Tiny, but weight for weight its song is ten times louder than a cockerel's.
Its scientific name means "cave-dweller", from its habit of creeping into crevices.
The male Eurasian wren is highly polygynous, unusual for a songbird.
Often confused with
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