Winter Wren (Troglodytes hiemalis), Seven Springs Recreation Area, Maricopa County

This Eastern Winter Wren was discovered and photographed by Tommy DeBardeleben on 04 March 2011 at the Seven Springs Recreation Area.

Thought to be a rare but annual winter visitor, the newly split Winter Wren has been something of a phenomenon this year with many documented reports.  It is not clear if this represents an increase in its occurrence or the increased attention being paid since it is now a species rather than a subspecies.  Equally surprising is that while this is the ninth Winter Wren documented this winter, only one Pacific Wren has been documented.  Pacific Wren was considered to be more common of the two forms in Arizona. 

Winter Wren has a noticeable and distinct supercillum, barred flanks, and a short tail. Pacific Wren has those same features as well, but the two are separated visually by color, as the Winter Wren has a pale throat and much lighter breast than the darker colored Pacific Wren. They also differ significantly in their call notes, which is what is mainly heard when these species are observed in Arizona.

04 March 2011, photo by Tommy DeBardeleben