Troglodytes – I always thought a Troglodyte was someone who lived in a cave or hole or something, not really part of general society, managing to live up to caveman stereotypes – you know, a little bit brutish. I would apparently be right to think that but what also carries the name troglodyte – Troglodytes troglodytes, in fact – is that squat little forager, the wren. Weird – not very cavemannish is it?
I decided to investigate: Did you know the wren is one of Britain’s most abundant birds – claiming the title of the UK’s commonest breeding bird? It is also one of our smallest birds. Originating from North America, the wren is a round, dumpy little thing with a pert tail that is often stood to attention. Although apparently regular visitors to British gardens they’re spotted less often than other species like blue tits, robins and blackbirds because of their preference of staying low when hunting for food. Ah ha! Maybe that’s a clue – they stay low! In fact they stick to bushes, vegetation and crevices in tree trunks and roots AND they also fly low to the ground too. We think we pre-twitchers have cracked it – wrens are ground-huggers … troglodytes live in caves and so are also ground dwellers of sorts … wrens, troglodytes – it’s obvious isn’t it? Confusion over.
Some other wren did-you-knows:
- The oldest surviving wren lived for 6 years
- The wren has a strong singing voice for a tiny bird
- The wren sings pretty much all year round
- Up to 80% of the wren population can be wiped out by one very cold winter but apparently the population can be recovered in only a matter of years
- The current population appears to be stable with an estimated 7.1 million breeding territories in Britain and up to 10 million pairs across Britain and Ireland
- Wrens have been known to pack themselves into a single roost in cold weather. Up to 63 have been counted in one nestbox! Apparently they often queue to get in, sometimes taking up to half an hour to get them all inside the roost!
- Wrens are extremely adaptable
- Male wrens will build a number of nests – up to 8 – for his mate to choose from. She will then line her chosen nest with feathers and other soft materials before she’ll lay eggs in it – usually 5-8 eggs.
- Wrens often have 2 broods a year
- WREN also happens to be Waste Recycling Environmental Limited (it did occur to me that it ought to be WREL but who am I to argue?). Anyway in case you’re wondering why I mentioned it WREN distributes the money collected through landfill (hole in the ground, caves again!) tax schemes to benefit the environment, and the RSPB has benefited from some of the £80 million in funding that WREN has distributed since 1997
So, not only is wren a tiny little ball of feathery flight and song, it is also a force to be reckoned with in terms of environmental impact – not bad for a cave-dwelling troglodyte!
Link: check out the WREN site here for projects benefiting the environment near you
