Cactus Wren Sounds

Overview
ID info
Life History
Maps
Sounds

Song
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California, May 04, 2012Recorded by Tom Johnson / Macaulay Library
Song
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California, March 21, 2012Recorded by Hope Batcheller / Macaulay Library
Calls
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Arizona, June 11, 1970Recorded by William W. H. Gunn / Macaulay Library
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New Mexico, July 10, 2019Recorded by Natasza Fontaine / Macaulay Library
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Arizona, October 17, 2020Recorded by Andrew Spencer / Macaulay Library
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Arizona, October 17, 2020Recorded by Andrew Spencer / Macaulay Library
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Arizona, October 04, 2019Recorded by Gordon Karre / Macaulay Library
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New Mexico, May 03, 2020Recorded by Tom E. Johnson / Macaulay Library

Sounds provided by Macaulay Library.
Listen to more sounds of this species from the ML archive.

Songs

The song of the Cactus Wren is a quintessential sound of the desert and sounds like a car that just won’t start. Each attempt to start the car lasts for about 4 seconds with a 4–8 second pause before they try again. The raspy, harsh, loud series of harsh "char" notes, increases slightly in volume and pitch, and the sound carries through the heat of the desert, as far as 1,000 feet away. Females also sing, although their weaker and higher-pitched song is rarely heard. Males sing to attract females and to communicate with their mate and young as well as to warn potential intruders.

Calls

Adults and fledglings give several types of calls. The tek call is a staccato series of notes that adults give to warn intruding wrens. Adults and fledglings also make a single chuck sound to communicate with each other. Adults often give a buzz when they see predators. Males make a squeal that sounds like a painful whine when the female takes over the roosting nest to start nesting during the breeding season. Males and females give a growl-like call when they encounter each other, sometimes likened to the sound of a metal rake dragged through loose gravel.