Wrentit Identification

The Four Keys to ID

• Size & Shape

  Wrentits are small birds with fairly large, round heads and short rounded wings giving them an overall plump appearance. They have long legs and long tails, which they often hold up and away from their body at different angles. Their bills are short and slightly curved.

  Relative Size

  Larger than a Bushtit, smaller than a Spotted Towhee; about the size of a Song Sparrow.

  sparrow-sized or smaller

  Measurements

  • Both Sexes
  • • Length: 5.5-5.9 in (14-15 cm)
    • Weight: 0.5-0.6 oz (13-16 g)
    • Wingspan: 6.9-7.1 in (17.5-18 cm)

  © DigiBirdTrek CA / Macaulay Library

• Color Pattern

  Wrentits are plain brownish-gray with paler, slightly streaked, pale pinkish bellies. They have a distinctive pale eye.

• Behavior

  Males and females sing from deep inside shrubs, where they are difficult to find. Occasionally males perch on top of a low shrub to sing with their tails cocked up. Wrentits move slowly, often pausing to look around before hopping to the next spot. When they fly between shrubs they fly slowly and pump their tails slightly to maintain elevation.

• Habitat

  The Wrentit lives in coastal scrub and chaparral along the West Coast, including suburban yards and parks with shrubs. Away from the coast they live in thickets along creeks, oak woodlands, mixed-evergreen forests, and dense shrublands with coyotebush, manzanita, California lilac, or blackberry.

Regional Differences

Wrentits are darker reddish-brown with pinker bellies on the coast. They are paler and more gray in the interior parts of their range.

Regional Photos

© Christoph Moning / Macaulay LibraryCalifornia, March 06, 2010

© Peter Hawrylyshyn / Macaulay LibraryCalifornia, June 09, 2017