wren

{pronunciation: the letter ‘w’ is silent}

a kind of bird – song bird – insectivore (= feeds mostly on insects) – diurnal (= active during day) – small but stocky body in grey, brown, black and white feathers – most species with spots or bars, with cone-shaped head, small eyes, relatively long, slender beak (bill), short neck, short wings, long, thin legs and toes, moderately long tail; size: the smallest – white-bellied wren – 4 inches in length and 9-10 grams in weight, the largest – giant wren – 9-10 inches long and 50 grams in weight; feeds on (eats) mostly insects and spiders, and plant matter – fruit, vegetable matter, etc., and occasionally, some large species, lizards; lives for 6-7 years; 80 species, found in the Americas, and (one species) in Europe and Asia

male ~~ cock

female ~~ jenny; jennywren

baby ~~ chick

group ~~ herd; flock

voice (call) ~~ {no particular name} trill, whistle

home ~~ nest

{The small song birds (about 27 species) that are called ‘wren’ in Australia and New Zealand, and the ones called ‘ant-wren’ and ‘wren-babbler’ do not belong to the ‘true’ wren family.}

Special Features:

The ‘cactus wren’ is the state bird of Arizona; and the ‘Carolina wren’ is the state bird of South Carolina, USA.

Though they are small birds, wrens are noted for their loud calls.  A wren gives out its song (voice) 10 times more powerfully than a full-grown rooster (cock) crows! {A wren may be anywhere between 4-10 inches in length and 9-50 grams in weight, while a  rooster is 1-3 feet in length and 500 grams to 2½ Kg. in weight!}

Several species of wren hold their medium-sized (stubby in some species) tails upright (erect) and flick them quite often; and most of  the wrens sleep on the ground!

wren’s nest

A male wren builds several dome-shaped nests, called ‘cock nests’ from which its paired female chooses only one, and lines the nest with feathers!

The wren is a popular song bird.  It is so popular that some countries have its pictures on their postal stamps.

Figures of Speech:

1.

wren (noun)  =

(a)  a member of the former British ‘Women’s Royal Naval Service’  (not an acronym; but like a nickname)

(b)  {an acronym – a word made from the first letter of a long name or phrase of many words} Women’s Rural Entrepreneurial Network, New Hampshire, USA

2.

as weak as a wren

3.

as dapper as a cock-wren (‘dapper’ = neatly dressed; very stylish)

4.

wrens may prey where eagles dare not perch [said to point out that a common person has less restrictions than a famous person]

5.

a wren in hand is better than a crane to be caught (‘wren’ = a small bird; ‘crane’ = a large bird) [a saying implying that even a small gain, profit or thing that is surely yours right now is far more valuable than a larger one you may or may not have in future]

<<< Back to List W —-    Next … wryneck >>>