Wren (redirected from ant-wrens)

wren, small, plump perching songbird of the family Troglodytidae. There are about 60 wren species, and all except one are restricted to the New World. The plumage is usually brown or reddish above and white, gray, or buff, often streaked, below. Wrens are similar to sparrows but have longer, slender bills and usually perch with their tails cocked straight up. They are valuable insect destroyers. Among the best singers are the canyon, Carolina, and winter wrens. Most wrens nest in natural holes and cavities; house wrens, which range over most of the United States and S Canada, will nest in boxes built for them and in crannies about dwellings. Also found in North America are the cactus, rock, and marsh wrens. The common European wren is a winter wren. Wrens are classified in the phylum Chordata, subphylum Vertebrata, class Aves, order Passeriformes.

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wren

Any of 59 species (family Troglodytidae) of chunky songbirds, found in the Western Hemisphere. One species, Troglodytes troglodytes, has spread to the Old World; typical of the family, it is about 4 in. (10 cm) long and dark-barred brown, with a short, slightly downcurved bill, short rounded wings, and short cocked tail. Common throughout the Western Hemisphere is the house wren. The largest U.S. species (8 in., or 20 cm, long) is the cactus wren of southwestern deserts. Wrens hunt insects in marshes, rocky wastes, or shrubbery, revealing their presence by chatter and loud song. They nest in holes, in thickets, or on ledges.

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wren

1. any small brown passerine songbird of the chiefly American family Troglodytidae, esp Troglodytes troglodytes (wren in Britain, winter wren in the US and Canada). They have a slender bill and feed on insects

2. any of various similar birds of the families Muscicapidae (Australian warblers), Xenicidae (New Zealand wrens), etc.

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Wren

Sir Christopher. 1632--1723, English architect. He designed St Paul's Cathedral and over 50 other London churches after the Great Fire as well as many secular buildings

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wren [ren]

(vertebrate zoology)

Any of the various small brown singing birds in the family Troglodytidae; they are insectivorous and tend to inhabit dense, low vegetation.

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Wren 

(Troglodytes troglodytes), a bird of the family Troglodytidae of the order Passeriformes. The body length measures 10−12 cm long; the bird weighs 8–11 g. The plumage is grayish brown.

The wren is distributed in Europe, North Africa, Asia, and North America. In the USSR it is found from the western borders to the Kuril Islands (except Western and Central Siberia). In the northern part of its area of distribution it is a migratory bird, while in the south it is not. The wren stays in coniferous and leafy forests in dense underbrush. In the mountains of Middle Asia and on the Komandorskie and Kuril islands it is found on cliffs and in sparse thickets. The nest is globular, with a side entrance. The clutch contains six or seven eggs, which are white with reddish spots. The wren incubates the eggs 14–15 days. It feeds primarily on spiders and small insects; it also eats seeds and berries.