Wren - Distribution and Habitat

Distribution and Habitat

Wrens are principally a New World Family, distributed from Alaska and Canada to southern Argentina, with the greatest species richness in the Neotropics. As suggested by its name, the Eurasian Wren is the only species of wren found outside the Americas, as restricted to Europe, Asia and northern Africa (it was formerly considered conspecific with the Winter Wren and Pacific Wren of North America). There are a number of insular species, including the Clarion Wren and Socorro Wren from the Revillagigedo Islands in the Pacific Ocean, and the Cobb's Wren in the Falkland Islands, but few Caribbean islands have a species of wren, with only the Southern House Wren in the Lesser Antilles, the Cozumel Wren of Cozumel Island, and the highly restricted Zapata Wren in a single swamp in Cuba.

The various species occur in a wide range of habitats, ranging from dry, sparsely wooded country to rainforest. Most species are mainly found at low levels, but members of the genus Campylorhynchus are frequently found higher, and the two members of Odontorchilus are restricted to the forest canopy. A few species, notably the Eurasian Wren and the House Wren, are often associated with humans. Most species are resident, remaining in Central and South America all year round, but the few species found in temperate regions of the Northern Hemisphere are partially migratory, spending the winter further south.