Overview
Winter Wrens are one of the smallest birds in North America - only 4 inches wingspan and 9 grams weight. Despite their tiny size, they have one of the loudest songs of any bird in the Vermont forest. Their complicated, energetic song is often known as being "10 times more powerful per unit weight than a crowing rooster." They live in the moist, dense understory of coniferous forests throughout Vermont where they scurry and hop around more like a mouse than a bird. Their secretive behavior and camouflage feathers make them difficult to spot even if they sound close. Despite their name, Winter Wrens are generally not found in Vermont during the winter.
Conservation
Winter Wren populations fluctuate due to harsh winter weather in their wintering grounds in the southern United States. They are extremely sensitive to cold temperatures due to their size causing difficulty to maintain body temperature, and their dependency for feeding on insects. However, their population tends to increase again after a mild winter.
