Cactus Wren

Campylorhynchus brunneicapillus

Builds football-sized nests inside cholla spines. Delivers messages from inside the meanest plants you can find.

Population: Roughly 7-8.5 million individuals (estimates vary by source: ~7M per Partners in Flight/Wikipedia-IUCN figures, ~8.5M per Audubon); population declined an estimated ~55% between 1966 and 2015 but remains abundant and stable overall
Habitat: Arid desert scrub, chaparral, and dry thornscrub, especially areas with cholla and prickly-pear cactus and mesquite for nesting; also adapted to urban/suburban desert parks and yards
Fun fact: The Cactus Wren is a true desert xerophile — it can survive without any free drinking water, extracting all the moisture it needs from its insect and fruit diet even in peak summer heat.
Range: Southwestern United States (California, Nevada, Utah, Arizona, New Mexico, Texas) south through northern and central Mexico (Sonora, Sinaloa, Chihuahua, Coahuila, Nuevo León, Hidalgo, Baja California); non-migratory, permanent resident throughout
Diet: Primarily insects and other arthropods (beetles, ants, grasshoppers, spiders), supplemented with fruits, seeds, nectar, and occasionally small lizards; eats more plant material than most wrens (up to ~20% of diet); largely non-migratory and forages mostly on the ground and in low vegetation
Size: 0.2 m
Wingspan: 0.28 m
Lifespan: 8 years

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