Geographic Range
Sedge wrens are migratory, breeding in south central Canada and the north central
United States and wintering in the southeastern United States, including the Gulf
states and eastern Texas, and northeastern Mexico. There are some disjunct, resident
populations in portions of Mexico. Northern breeding populations are found throughout
the Great Lakes states, including Indiana, Iowa, Minnesota, the eastern Dakotas, Ontario,
and southern Alberta, Saskatchewan, and Manitoba. Breeding also occurs in portions
of Mexico, Central America, and throughout South America in appropriate habitat. Northern
breeding populations winter along the Atlantic coastal plain from New Jersey to Florida,
throughout the Gulf Coast states, eastern Texas, and into eastern Mexico to Veracruz.
- Biogeographic Regions
- nearctic
- neotropical
Habitat
Sedge wrens, as their name suggests, are found in sedge meadows and other wet grasslands,
such as the shorelines of ponds, marshes, bogs, and coastal wetlands. They can also
be found in agricultural areas with similar qualities, such as hayfields and early
successional oldfields. They prefer areas with dense cover of grasses and sedges,
where they place their nests, and avoid open areas, cattail marshes, sparse vegetation,
and flooded grasslands. They prefer areas with a moderate density of shrubs as well.
- Habitat Regions
- temperate
- tropical
- terrestrial
- Terrestrial Biomes
- savanna or grassland
Physical Description
Sedge wrens are smallm, black and brown streaked wrens. They have white bellies and
throats, with soft brown on the sides, breast, and under the tail. The tails have
black bars. They are from 10 to 12 cm and 7 to 10 g. Males and females are alike and
there is no difference in plumage throughout the year, although males may be slightly
larger in some features. Sedge wrens may be confused with other wren species, including
marsh wrens (
Cistothorus palustris
), house wrens (
Troglodytes aedon
), winter wrens (
Troglodytes troglodytes
), Carolina wrens (
Thryothorus ludovicianus
), and Bewick's wrens (
Thryomanes bewickii
). They are distinguished by their striped heads and backs. They can also be distinguished
by their songs.
There are 18 recorded subspecies of sedge wrens, divided into 3 "groups," each of
which may deserve recognition as a species. The "stellaris" group (sedge wren) is
found in North America and is primarily migratory. The "plantensis" group (western
grass wren) is found in western South America, from Colombia and Venezuela to Tierra
del Fuego. The "polyglottus" group (eastern grass wren) is found in eastern South
America, from Colombia and Venezuela through Brazil to northern Argentina.
- Other Physical Features
- endothermic
- homoiothermic
- bilateral symmetry
- Sexual Dimorphism
- sexes alike
Reproduction
Many aspects of sedge wren natural history are not well studied and there is little
information on how mated pairs form. It is thought that pairs form on the breeding
grounds, males arrive up to 2 weeks before female to establish nesting territories.
Males may have a single female mate or may attract multiple (usually just 2) females
to their breeding territory.
- Mating System
- monogamous
- polygynous
Migratory populations of sedge wrens seem to have a nomadic breeding cycle. Northern
breeding populations breed from May through June. Breeding then occurs in the southern
United States from July into September, coinciding with the departure of northern
breeding populations. This suggests that sedge wrens migrate to their northernmost
breeding range for their first nesting, then migrate farther south to nest again.
The later breeding season could also be late arrivals or an adaptive response to habitat
quality in the southern portion of the range.
Females arrive on the breeding grounds after males and nest building begins within
2 weeks after male arrival. Males build several globular nests made of grasses and
then females choose among them and line them with fine materials. Nests are built
in dense stands of sedges or grass, in small shrubs, or on the ground at the base
of dense vegetation. Nest height above ground ranges from 10 to 100 cm. Nests take
7 to 8 days to build, duplicate nests may be predator decoys or can be used by secondary
female mates. In one study males had an average of 7.4 nests in their territories.
Sedge wrens attempt single broods in some areas, but observations of double broods
are reported from other areas. Monogamous pairs have a higher likelihood of attempting
2nd broods. Females lay 2 to 8 smooth, white eggs, laying 1 egg each day while they
are lining the nest, and begin incubating at the last egg laid. Incubation is for
13 to 16 days and the young fledge at 11 to 16 days after that (usually 12 to 14).
Young sedge wrens become independent some time after fledging, although how long they
remain dependent on females after fledging is unknown. It is likely that sedge wrens
breed in their first year after hatching, as do other wrens.
- Key Reproductive Features
- iteroparous
- seasonal breeding
- gonochoric/gonochoristic/dioecious (sexes separate)
- sexual
- oviparous
Females incubate the young, which are born naked and helpless. Their eyes open at
4 days and they fledge at 11 to 16 days old. Young of secondary females lag behind
the young of primary females in development. Females also provide all food for the
young, although males may occasionally help. The young remain near the nest and are
fed by their mother for some time after fledging. Males contribute to territory defense,
so may help to protect young from predators.
- Parental Investment
- altricial
-
pre-fertilization
- provisioning
-
protecting
- female
-
pre-hatching/birth
-
provisioning
- female
-
protecting
- male
- female
-
provisioning
-
pre-weaning/fledging
-
provisioning
- female
-
protecting
- male
- female
-
provisioning
Lifespan/Longevity
Lifespan in sedge wrens is not known, no banded sedge wrens have been recovered. Nests
and adults are destroyed during hay and rice harvesting and by cattle trampling in
pastures. Sedge wrens have also been reported colliding with towers during migration.
Behavior
Sedge wren populations in North America are short-distance migrants. Northern populations
begin migrating northwards in April and May. These populations have also been described
as nomadic, as some migrate to northern breeding areas in the spring, then migrate
to more southern portions of the breeding range in late summer and breed again there.
Sedge wrens begin their southwards, fall migration in August through October. They
seem to migrate in mixed-species flocks with other
wrens
. They migrate at night. Sexes from northern breeding populations seem to occupy different
winter ranges, with females occurring farther south than males. Sedge wrens do not
have high breeding site fidelity, and may be nomadic during the breeding season in
North America. Fidelity to wintering sites is not known.
Sedge wrens are secretive birds. When startled, they run along the ground for a short
distance before taking flight, then fly a short distance before diving into the cover
of vegetation again. Sedge wrens are active during the day and either occur in pairs
or in mixed-species flocks during migration. Their winter habits are not known.
Home Range
There is no information on territory size or home range size in sedge wrens. Nest
density has been reported from 1 to 68 males per 10 hectares, with density varying
by habitat type. Higher densities are found in sedge meadows and grasslands, lower
densities are found in tallgrass prairies.
Communication and Perception
One of the few natural history aspects of sedge wrens that have been well studied
are their vocalizations and much is known about song development. Sedge wren males
develop from 29 to 63 individual song types through improvisation. Songs are not strictly
learned or imitated from songs encountered in their environment, rather they are improvised
by individual males to be unique. This is in contrast to closely related marsh wrens
(
Cistothorus palustris
), which use songs primarily learned from the environment. Patterns seem to differ
in resident populations of sedge wrens in Central and South America, where there is
more evidence of song learning or imitating nearby conspecific males, rather than
improvisation. Only males sing, they begin developing song as fledglings, but then
cease singing until the following year, when they develop their song repertoire.
Songs have been described as "staccato chattering." All sedge wren songs begin with
a stereotyped set of 3 to 4 notes, followed by various trills that vary individually.
Marsh wren
calls can be distinguished because of their more musical quality and less emphasis
on the initial, stereotypes portion of the song sequence. Males may begin to sing
on their wintering grounds in the spring, but their arrival on breeding grounds is
generally discovered through the detection of singing males. Males sing from perches,
usually, but will sing at other times as well. Males repeat individual song types
on average 19 times before switching to another song type, although this varies substantially.
Social context changes how frequently males change between song types and how many
types of songs they use. Competition with nearby singing males tends to increase the
number of songs and the number of types of songs expressed.
- Communication Channels
- acoustic
Food Habits
Sedge wrens are invertivores, eating mainly insects and spiders. There is little information
on details of their diet or foraging because of their cryptic habits, but a few observations
suggest they mainly forage on the ground near the bases of grasses and sedges. Some
stomach content analyses suggest that sedge wrens eat large proportions of
spiders
, along with
ants
,
weevils
,
lady beetles
,
butterfly and moth larvae
, and
grasshoppers
.
- Primary Diet
-
carnivore
- insectivore
- eats non-insect arthropods
- Animal Foods
- insects
- terrestrial non-insect arthropods
Predation
Sedge wren nests seem to be heavily preyed on, predation is the dominant reason for
nest failure in some areas. However, few predators are reported. Red foxes are known
to take sedge wrens. Responses to predators are unknown, but sedge wrens are cryptically
colored and behave secretively.
- Anti-predator Adaptations
- cryptic
Ecosystem Roles
Sedge wrens prey on invertebrates and are likely to be preyed on by small, terrestrial and avian predators. There are no reported parasites or diseases.
Economic Importance for Humans: Positive
Sedge wrens are unique members of wet grassland ecosystems throughout the Americas.
Economic Importance for Humans: Negative
There are no adverse effects of sedge wrens on humans.
Conservation Status
Sedge wren populations shows small increases between 1966 and 1996, but sedge wrens
have suffered from the loss of mesic grasslands throughout their range and local populations
have experienced declines as a result. Wet grasslands are frequently drained and
converted to agriculture, making them less suitable for sedge wrens. Also, grazing,
burning, and mowing, sometimes used to manage grasslands for other species, negatively
effects sedge wrens because they prefer tall, dense grasslands. Overgrazing and burning
in Argentina have resulted in severe population declines of sedge wrens. They are
considered "least concern" by the IUCN because of their wide range, large estimated
population sizes, and lack of evidence for substantial population declines. However,
the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service considers them a U.S. migratory species of concern
and they are listed as endangered, threatened, or special concern in 9 eastern and
midwestern United States, including Pennsylvania, Massachusetts, New York, and New
Jersey. Their erratic and seasonal occurrence in areas makes it difficult to accurately
assess population sizes. Populations seem to do well in years with lots of precipitation.
Other Comments
Sedge wrens were previously called "short-billed marsh wrens" but the name was changed
to distinguish them more from marsh wrens (
Cistothorus palustris
). Sedge wrens are considered closely related to several South American
Cistothorus
species with localized distributions: Merida wrens (
Cistothorus meridae
) and Apolinar's wrens (
Cistothorus apolinari
).
Additional Links
Contributors
Tanya Dewey (author), Animal Diversity Web.
- Nearctic
-
living in the Nearctic biogeographic province, the northern part of the New World. This includes Greenland, the Canadian Arctic islands, and all of the North American as far south as the highlands of central Mexico.
- native range
-
the area in which the animal is naturally found, the region in which it is endemic.
- Neotropical
-
living in the southern part of the New World. In other words, Central and South America.
- native range
-
the area in which the animal is naturally found, the region in which it is endemic.
- temperate
-
that region of the Earth between 23.5 degrees North and 60 degrees North (between the Tropic of Cancer and the Arctic Circle) and between 23.5 degrees South and 60 degrees South (between the Tropic of Capricorn and the Antarctic Circle).
- tropical
-
the region of the earth that surrounds the equator, from 23.5 degrees north to 23.5 degrees south.
- terrestrial
-
Living on the ground.
- tropical savanna and grassland
-
A terrestrial biome. Savannas are grasslands with scattered individual trees that do not form a closed canopy. Extensive savannas are found in parts of subtropical and tropical Africa and South America, and in Australia.
- savanna
-
A grassland with scattered trees or scattered clumps of trees, a type of community intermediate between grassland and forest. See also Tropical savanna and grassland biome.
- temperate grassland
-
A terrestrial biome found in temperate latitudes (>23.5° N or S latitude). Vegetation is made up mostly of grasses, the height and species diversity of which depend largely on the amount of moisture available. Fire and grazing are important in the long-term maintenance of grasslands.
- marsh
-
marshes are wetland areas often dominated by grasses and reeds.
- bog
-
a wetland area rich in accumulated plant material and with acidic soils surrounding a body of open water. Bogs have a flora dominated by sedges, heaths, and sphagnum.
- endothermic
-
animals that use metabolically generated heat to regulate body temperature independently of ambient temperature. Endothermy is a synapomorphy of the Mammalia, although it may have arisen in a (now extinct) synapsid ancestor; the fossil record does not distinguish these possibilities. Convergent in birds.
- bilateral symmetry
-
having body symmetry such that the animal can be divided in one plane into two mirror-image halves. Animals with bilateral symmetry have dorsal and ventral sides, as well as anterior and posterior ends. Synapomorphy of the Bilateria.
- monogamous
-
Having one mate at a time.
- polygynous
-
having more than one female as a mate at one time
- iteroparous
-
offspring are produced in more than one group (litters, clutches, etc.) and across multiple seasons (or other periods hospitable to reproduction). Iteroparous animals must, by definition, survive over multiple seasons (or periodic condition changes).
- seasonal breeding
-
breeding is confined to a particular season
- sexual
-
reproduction that includes combining the genetic contribution of two individuals, a male and a female
- oviparous
-
reproduction in which eggs are released by the female; development of offspring occurs outside the mother's body.
- altricial
-
young are born in a relatively underdeveloped state; they are unable to feed or care for themselves or locomote independently for a period of time after birth/hatching. In birds, naked and helpless after hatching.
- diurnal
-
- active during the day, 2. lasting for one day.
- motile
-
having the capacity to move from one place to another.
- migratory
-
makes seasonal movements between breeding and wintering grounds
- sedentary
-
remains in the same area
- social
-
associates with others of its species; forms social groups.
- acoustic
-
uses sound to communicate
- cryptic
-
having markings, coloration, shapes, or other features that cause an animal to be camouflaged in its natural environment; being difficult to see or otherwise detect.
- carnivore
-
an animal that mainly eats meat
- insectivore
-
An animal that eats mainly insects or spiders.
- visual
-
uses sight to communicate
- tactile
-
uses touch to communicate
- acoustic
-
uses sound to communicate
- chemical
-
uses smells or other chemicals to communicate
References
Herkert, J., D. Kroodsma, J. Gibbs. 2001. Sedge Wren (Cistothorus platensis). Birds of North America Online , 582: 1-20. Accessed May 21, 2009 at http://bna.birds.cornell.edu/bna/species/582 .