Eurasian Wren: a two-minute wildlife lesson

Birds of Europe · day 7 of 7

Five facts

1. Small bird, huge voice: weight for weight, a wren sings ten times louder than a rooster.
2. A male builds several nests around his patch. Females prefer males with lots of nests, and only the chosen one gets a soft lining.
3. In an old fable, the wren hid on an eagle's back during a flying contest, then shot higher once the eagle tired. It became king of the birds.
4. Its wings are tiny and round, yet on migration some wrens cross the North Sea, which is more than 500 km wide.
5. From 1937 to 1960, a wren appeared on the British farthing coin, as it was thought to be Britain's smallest bird.

The quiz

1. Weight for weight, how much louder is a wren than a rooster?

• Half as loud
• Twice as loud
• Ten times louder (correct)
• A thousand times louder

Weight for weight, its voice is ten times louder than a cockerel's.

2. What does a male wren build on his territory?

• A single nest on the ground
• Several nests (correct)
• A burrow in the sand
• A pile of shiny stones

He builds several nests, and the female picks one.

3. In the fable, how did the wren fly higher than the eagle?

• It flew faster from the start
• It sang until the eagle gave up
• It took a shortcut through clouds
• It rode on the eagle's back, then flew up (correct)

It rested on the eagle's back and flew out above it when the eagle tired.

4. How wide is the North Sea that some wrens fly across?

• More than 500 km (correct)
• Under 1 km
• About 5 km
• About 50 m

Wrens can cross the North Sea, which is over 500 km wide.

5. Why was the wren chosen for the British farthing coin?

• It was thought to be Britain's smallest bird (correct)
• It was Britain's fastest bird
• It lives only in Britain
• It was the king's pet

People believed no British bird was smaller.

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