| |
Arizona State Bird
Cactus Wren
- Official Arizona State Bird Name: Cactus Wren
- Family: Troglodytidae, Wrens
- Scientific name: Campylorhynchus
brunneicapillus (wow, that's a mouthful!)
- Length: 8.5" (22 cm), largest wren of N.A.
- Diet: Insects, small vertebrates, fruit, seeds; 15-20% fruit, berries, seeds (more than other wrens),
nectar
- Voice:
Listen to Cactus Wren Song and calls
(recorded by Cornell Lab of Ornithology)
Song low, grating, chugging, unmusical krrr krrr
krrr krrr krrr krrr krrr slightly lower at beginning but quickly
up to speed, with little variation in pitch or tempo. Common call a
low, hollow knocking kot or kut repeated in long series.
Also a low, coarse, dry trrk trrk... or dry, clicking
krrrr; deep cheg notes; series of higher, fairly harsh
notes deeu deeu deeu... or raap raap raap...
like a quacking duck.
- Habitat: Cactus, yucca, mesquite; arid brush
hillsides & valleys, deserts.
- Displays: Pair perform display-growl greeting:
males extends wings and tail and "growls"; female does same in
response, then crouches and refolds wings.
- Number of broods: 2, occasionally 3
- Nest: Bulky nest tucked into protective spiny
plants, especially in cholla cactus, tree yucca, also in desert shrub
or tree; usually at least 2-6' off ground, up to 30'.
- Eggs: Usually 3-4 pinkish, usually marked with
reddish-brown, occasionally wreathed; 0.9" (24 mm).
- Incubation period: 16 days
- Fledge: 19-23 days after hatching
- Longevity Record: 6 Years and 4 months (according to USGS
Bird Banding Lab)
The cactus wren was chosen as the Arizona state bird by the Arizona
Legislature in 1931. It remained Arizona's only official wildlife
representative until 1985. During March of 1985 (Wildlife Month), school
children around the state cast over 120,000 votes to elect other Arizona
official wildlife representatives in an Arizona Game and Fish Department
sponsored election. As part of its 1986 legislative package, the Department
submitted the four winning species to the Arizona State Legislature for
formal adoption. Today the cactus wren is joined as the Arizona state bird
by the ringtail, Arizona trout, ridgenose rattlesnake, and Arizona tree frog
to represent Arizona as the official state wildlife.
Arizona State Bird Books
50 State Birds
Main Page
Bird Watching Bliss
Home Page
|
