| The Winter Wren underwent a taxonomic change in 2010, when the American Ornithologists' Union split the former continent-wide species into two species. The Western forms are now the Pacific Wren, and the birds nesting in the eastern half of the continent remain the Winter Wren, but with a new scientific name (formerly Troglodytes troglodytes, and now T. hiemalis). In the East, they nest down the spine of the Appalachian Mountains, and thus in North Carolina are confined to our mountains in summer. It occurs statewide in other seasons; thus, it is found in all 100 counties in winter. This tiny ball of brown feathers can be hard to spot, at least in summer; their very long and beautiful song is often heard, but tracking down the bird can be difficult. Breeding habitats are in cool habitats -- spruce-fir forests or where mixed with hardwoods, hemlock (formerly) forests, and cove forests with White Pine or dense rhododendron stands. The breeding population appears to have expanded down-slope from the higher mountains over the last few decades; however, record-keeping 50 or more years ago was not thorough enough to know for certain that these middle elevations were devoid of Winter Wrens in summer. In winter, the birds require dense cover within 3 feet of the ground, in a variety of forest types. They stay close to brush piles, thickets, stream banks, and fallen trees at this season. During and after severe winter weather, which kills a number of these birds, the species is often uncommon and can be hard to find.
In 2026, the AOS changed the genus name from Troglodytes to Nannus, for this species and the Pacific Wren. |
