Cactus Wrens are fairly large, conspicuous birds with a loud, monotonous, churring call. They are easily recognized by their heavily streaked and spotted plumage. They have a long white eye stripe, buff belly, dense black spots on the upper breast, black and white streaks and spots on the back and upper wings, and a long tail with black and white bars. Males and females look very similar.
Cactus Wrens are residents of arid habitats in the southwestern United States and Mexico. They are quite common in urban areas, especially in gardens and vacant lots with cacti and shrubs like jojoba and creosote. Males and females build large grass nests in cactus, especially chollas, shrubs or small trees. These birds have a long, slender, slightly curved bill and feed mostly on insects on the ground or near the ground in cactus or shrubs.
Cactus Wrens are members of the almost exclusively South and Middle American wren family, the Troglodytidae. This group consists of about 80 species of mostly small, brown birds.
Cactus wren (Campylorhynchus brunneicapillus) is the Arizona State Bird. Characterized by the white eye stripe just behind each eye, heavily spotted dark brown and black throat and breast, and its wings and tail barred with black, white and brown feathers. It has an overall appearance of a creamy colored brown with black and white patterns covering its body. In addition, it also has a curved beak.
The cactus wren consist of many types of food such as fruit pulp, seeds, ants, grasshoppers, beetles, and other arthropods. It often finds its food by turning over rocks or other objects it finds on the ground in search of tasty morsels.
Common predators of the Cactus Wren are Coachwhips and other whipsnakes, which navigate their way through the cactus and often will take eggs or nestlings, while adult birds can be food for coyotes, hawks, fox, bobcats and domestic cats.
Found in the Sonoran Desert, southern California, southern Nevada, western Texas and southwest Utah, the cactus wren builds its nest in the shape of a football with an opening at one end. They will construct this nest out of grasses and other annual plants, but also have been known to include scraps of cloth and other woven fibers that they find. They typically will build their nest in cholla, but have also been seen building their nest in palo verde, acacias, saguaros, or the hanging pot in backyards.
