The Official State Bird of Arizona, The Cactus Wren

The sight and sound of the cactus wren is one of the delights of the Southwestern desert.  

On an early morning desert hike you will hear the sweet bird songs of a cardinal or the phanenopepla, which is music to the ears.  And then you hear a squawking of a bird which seems to be scolding its neighbors and you identify it immediately as the "curious" cactus wren!  

The curiosity of the cactus wren is what makes him so interesting.  They like to visit our garage, where I found one sitting on my bicycle seat trying to figure it out.  They have been known to make a mess inside a car if a door or window is left open.

The cactus wren is the largest wren in North America and although it can be found in your backyard, it is a true bird of the desert and can survive without freestanding water.

             The cactus wren is not listed as endangered or threatened but it is, like all song birds,

   protected by the Migratory Bird Treaty Act.  

Someone forgot to notify the Harris Hawk about that, since last week I saw the hawk grab a cactus wren and serve it to her babies for dinner.

Nests are built in cactus (especially in the cholla cactus), tree yucca, or thorny low trees like the mesquite, acacia or palo verde.  The nest is a bulky mass of weeds, grass, and twigs shaped like a football, and it is lined with feathers, animal hair, plant down and is built by both sexes. 

They hunt for insects, including spiders, beetles, ants, wasps, grasshoppers, plus fruit and seeds.

Both parents feed the nestlings.

I could hear these baby cactus wrens chirping, and I looked to see mom first with a spider and then a worm--what a perfect combination for these tiny little ones to grow!

The eggs hatch within two weeks after being laid and the babies will fledge and learn to fly at about twenty days.  

They still depend on the parents for food so they stay near the nest for about a month.

THE END