{"id":3967,"date":"2012-01-08T17:07:04","date_gmt":"2012-01-08T23:07:04","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/?p=3967"},"modified":"2026-10-23T09:26:08","modified_gmt":"2026-10-23T14:26:08","slug":"marsh-wrens","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/2012\/01\/08\/marsh-wrens\/","title":{"rendered":"Western Marsh-Wrens"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"WesternWestern Marsh-Wren in Cattail fluff –\u00a0 Nikon D200, f6.3, 1\/1000, ISO 400, +0.3 EV, Nikkor 200-400mm VR with 1.4x TC at 400mm, natural light<\/span><\/p>\n

I photographed these male Western Marsh-Wrens during breeding season when they were calling on their territories, while the male and female are alike in most aspects the exception is that only the males sing.<\/p>\n

And sing they do! Individual western males often have more than 100 songs and they are especially vocal when they are trying to attract a mate.<\/p>\n

\"WesternWestern Marsh-Wren male perched on a Cattail –\u00a0 Nikon D200, f6.3, 1\/1250, ISO 400, +0.3 EV, Nikkor 200-400mm VR with 1.4x TC at 400mm, natural light<\/span><\/p>\n

Western Marsh-Wrens are year round residents in Utah except for the northern most portion of the state. They prefer fresh and saltwater marsh habitats where there are grasses, reeds, sedges and cattails present. It can be a challenge to photograph Western Marsh-Wrens in the open but during breeding season the males often perch high on the vegetation while they are singing. They also move very quickly so it can be hard to keep track of them.<\/p>\n

\"MaleMale Western Marsh-Wren singing – Nikon D200, f6.3, 1\/1500, ISO 400, Nikkor 200-400mm VR with 1.4x TC at 400mm, natural light<\/span><\/p>\n

Though Western Marsh-Wrens are small in size I find that they have big attitudes. When I lived on the east coast I had Carolina Wrens that nested underneath my kitchen window where my sink was located, when I “dared” to wash my dishes the adult would sit on the windowsill and voice its displeasure. Loudly! That still makes me chuckle.<\/p>\n

Western Marsh-Wrens are amusing to observe, photograph and listen to. There is never a dull moment with them.<\/p>\n

Life is<\/em> good.<\/p>\n

Mia<\/p>\n

Click here<\/span><\/a> to view more of my Marsh Wren photos plus facts and information about this species.<\/p>\n

Update<\/strong>: Marsh wrens were split in October 2026 to Eastern and Western Marsh-Wrens. This post has been updated to reflect that change.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

I photographed these male Western Marsh-Wrens during breeding season when they were calling on their territories, while the male and female are alike in most aspects the exception is that only the males sing. And sing they do!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":116004,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":true,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[124,1148,26,538],"tags":[4004,4073,4072,4366,17605,1149,4094,4179,17606,4095,5802,3822],"class_list":["post-3967","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-bear-river-migratory-bird-refuge","category-box-elder-county-utah","category-utah","category-marsh-wrens","tag-adult","tag-breeding-season","tag-calling","tag-cattails","tag-cistothorus-paludicola","tag-males","tag-marsh","tag-singing-2","tag-western-marsh-wren","tag-wetlands","tag-wren","tag-wrens"],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t