Eurasian Wren

How to recognise it

• Very small and brown, with a short neck and a short, often cocked tail
• Rufous-brown above, brownish white below, with fine dark barring over much of the bird
• Pale eyebrow, dark loral stripe and a fairly long, pointed, slightly down-curved bill
• Sexes look alike, young birds have spotted underparts and less distinct barring

Call and song

The most frequent call is a sharp, repeated ”tic-tic-tic”, like a robin's but faster. When the bird is agitated it turns into an emphatic whirring, like clockwork running down. The song is powerful, long and complex, with trills and long passages of metallic, ringing notes, and is heard in both summer and winter.

Where and when

The Eurasian Wren breeds fairly commonly in the southern half of Sweden and more sparsely north to Jämtland and Norrbotten. Most Swedish birds move south for the winter, but some stay and then often wander about. It lives in forest with dense undergrowth, farmland, gardens with lush herbaceous growth and bare islands with scattered thickets. It is reported from all 21 counties, most often in November and December.

Food and behaviour

It feeds mostly on insects and spiders, but in winter also takes pupae and seeds. It moves in quick jerks, searching crevices and hopping up onto fallen logs. Flight is short, fast and straight on small, rounded, whirring wings. At night, especially in winter, it roosts in small cavities, dark nooks or abandoned bird nests. The male builds several nests, up to six or seven.