It may be diminutive, but the perky-tailed wren has a powerful song and the ancient title of king among bird. The wren is our wren. It was on our farthing copper coin. In May 2017, it figured on the first-class stamp in a Royal Mail ‘Songbirds’ series and it came fourth behind the robin, kingfisher and barn owl in the 2016 public vote to choose a national bird. It’s one of our commonest birds and widely distributed, with breeding pairs estimated at 7–8.5 million, depending on which ornithological data you raid. The wren is definitely a very British bird.
However, we don’t have exclusive rights. Ours is the Eurasian wren, a member of one of 19 genera covering 45 species that embrace much of the globe. Wrens are found across every landmass and on virtually every island. Even the Falklands have their own version, Cobb’s wren. With winter food scarce, wrens may forage under the snow for their natural diet of insects and spiders, their small size allowing them into areas that other birds can’t penetrate, an ability that applies throughout the year as they can reach cavities denied to larger beaks.
They can be aided in harsh weather with mealworms, finely broken breadcrumbs, oatmeal and grated cheese, but supplements should be scattered near low cover, as wrens don’t readily attend bird tables. However, they are pragmatists and, in the spring, may vary their diet by visiting shallow water to pick up tadpoles and smallfry. The female becomes particularly vocal if her newly fledged brood is on site, which may explain why wrens tend to be thought of as female, hence Jenny Wren. Some cultures, however, prefer a masculine character to support the regal notion and, in Germany, the bird is known as Zaun-könig or hedge king.
The loud song from such a small throat is possible because birds have an organ called a syrinx with a resonating chamber and membranes that utilise virtually all the air in the lungs and can produce two notes at the same time.
Yet another tradition warned that to harm a wren was to invite bad luck – a broken leg, your livestock injured – so, despite those tales of trickery and treachery, the tiny bird had some powerful friends after all. The king of the birds would expect no less.
Posted by victorhobson55 on 2018-10-31 20:00:33
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