Marsh Wren, Cistothorus palustris
Marsh Wrens can be heard calling all year in reeds growing in water, but most of the time they stay hidden in the marshes that are their habitat. The time to see them out in the open is spring, when males sing their complex (though unmelodious) songs to establish a territory and attract mates, and the same males also build nests -- sometimes multiple ones on a single territory. These birds are fiercely competitive, particularly in their singing, which can be nearly continuous; and successful males often mate with two or even more females.
Above, a juvenile in June, showing a yellow gape, a faint supercilium (eyebrow) rather than the bold white one of the adult, and a less contrasting pattern overall, with conspicuous barring and less rufous and dark brown in the upperpart and flank feathering.
This male was resting momentarily between vigorous renditions of his repeated song, as he defended his territory in early spring.
A male gathering nesting material.
A male singing from the reeds.
