Rock Wren

Rock Wren
Scientific Classification
: Animalia : Chordata : Aves : Passeriformes : Troglodytidae : Salpinctes : obsoletus
Binomial name
Salpinctes obsoletus (Say, 1823)

The Rock Wren, Salpinctes obsoletus, is a small songbird of the Wren family.

Adults have grey-brown upperparts with small black and white spots and pale grey underparts with a light brown rump. They have a light grey line over the eye, a long thin bill, a long barred tail and dark legs.

Their breeding habitat is dry rocky locations, including canyons, in western North America. This bird builds a cup nest in a crevice or cavity, usually among rocks.

These birds are permanent residents in the southwest. Northern birds migrate to southern parts of their range, some moving to the central United States. They occasionally wander into the eastern United States.

These birds forage on the ground, probing with their bill. They mainly eat insects and spiders.

This bird's song is a trill, becoming more varied during the nesting season.