Editing Sedge wren

{{Short description|Species of bird}}
{{Speciesbox 
| name = Sedge wren
| image = Sedge Wren (31204304001).jpg 
| image_caption = In [[Prairie State Park]], Missouri
| status = LC
| status_system = IUCN3.1
| status_ref =<ref name="iucn status 12 November 2021">{{cite iucn |author=BirdLife International |date=2016 |title=''Cistothorus stellaris'' |volume=2016 |page=e.T103887005A104216001 |doi=10.2305/IUCN.UK.2016-3.RLTS.T103887005A104216001.en |access-date=12 November 2021}}</ref>
| genus = Cistothorus
| species = stellaris
| authority = ([[Johann Friedrich Naumann|Naumann, J.F.]], 1823)
| range_map = Cistothorus stellaris map.svg
}}

The '''sedge wren''' ('''''Cistothorus stellaris''''') is a small and secretive [[passerine]] bird in the family [[Wren|Troglodytidae]]. It is widely distributed in North America. It is often found in wet grasslands and meadows where it nests in the tall grasses and sedges and feeds on insects. The sedge wren was formerly considered as [[conspecific]] with the non-migratory [[grass wren]] of central and South America.

== Taxonomy ==
The sedge wren was [[Species description|described]] by the German ornithologist [[Johann Friedrich Naumann]] in 1823 under the [[binomial name]] ''Troglodytes stellaris''. The [[type locality (biology)|type locality]] is Carolina.<ref>{{ cite book | last=Naumann | first=Johann Friedrich | author-link=Johann Friedrich Naumann | year=1823 | title= Johann Andreas Naumann's Naturgeschichte der Vögel Deutschlands | volume=3 | place= Leipzig | publisher=G. Fleischer | at=Table facing p. 724 | url=https://biodiversitylibrary.org/page/33763649 }}</ref><ref>{{ cite book | editor1-last=Mayr | editor1-first=Ernst | editor1-link=Ernst Mayr | editor2-last=Greenway | editor2-first=James C. Jr | year=1960 | title=Check-list of Birds of the World | volume=9 | publisher=Museum of Comparative Zoology  | place=Cambridge, Massachusetts  | page=391 | url= https://biodiversitylibrary.org/page/14481066 }}</ref> The current [[genus]] ''[[Cistothorus]]'' was introduced by the German ornithologist [[Jean Cabanis]] in 1850.<ref>{{ cite book | last= Cabanis | first=Jean | author-link=Jean Cabanis | year=1850 | title= Museum Heineanum : Verzeichniss der ornithologischen Sammlung des Oberamtmann Ferdinand Heine, auf Gut St. Burchard vor Halberstadt | volume=1 | language=de | place=Halberstadt  | publisher=In Commission bei R. Frantz | page=77 | url=https://biodiversitylibrary.org/page/49584456 }}</ref> The sedge wren and the [[grass wren]] were formerly treated as [[conspecific]]. They were split based on the results of a [[molecular phylogenetic]] study published in 2014.<ref name=robbins>{{cite journal | last1=Robbins | first1=Mark B. | last2=Nyári | first2=Árpád S. | year=2014 | title=Canada to Tierra del Fuego: species limits and historical biogeography of the Sedge Wren (''Cistothorus platensis'') | journal=Wilson Journal of Ornithology | volume=126 | issue=4 | pages=649–662 | doi=10.1676/13-162.1 | s2cid=86234438 }}</ref><ref name=ioc/> The sedge wren is [[monotypic]].<ref name=ioc>{{cite web| editor1-last=Gill | editor1-first=Frank | editor1-link=Frank Gill (ornithologist) | editor2-last=Donsker | editor2-first=David | year=2017 | title=Dapple-throats, sugarbirds, fairy-bluebirds, kinglets, hyliotas, wrens & gnatcatchers | work=World Bird List Version 7.3 | url=http://www.worldbirdnames.org/bow/sugarbirds/ | publisher=International Ornithologists' Union | access-date=29 December 2017 }}</ref>

The sedge wren was formerly known as the short-billed marsh wren but was renamed to better distinguish it from the [[marsh wren]].<ref name=":0" />

== Description ==
The sedge wren is a relatively small wren that measures {{cvt|10|to|12|cm}}, weighs {{cvt|7|to|10|g}} and has a [[Wing chord (biology)|wing-chord]] of {{cvt|4.1|to|4.6|cm}}. Wingspan ranges from 4.7-5.5 in (12-14&nbsp;cm).<ref>{{Cite web|title=Sedge Wren Identification, All About Birds, Cornell Lab of Ornithology|url=https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Sedge_Wren/id|access-date=2020-09-28|website=www.allaboutbirds.org|language=en}}</ref>

Females and males have the same [[plumage]] but males are slightly larger.<ref name=":0">{{Cite journal|url=https://birdsna.org/Species-Account/bna/species/sedwre/systematics|title=Sedge Wren - {{!}} Birds of North America Online|website=birdsna.org|doi=10.2173/bow.sedwre.02 |language=en|access-date=2017-10-06|url-access=subscription}}</ref> Their head and back are tawny brown streaked with black and white.<ref name=":0" /><ref name=":10">{{Cite book|title=Sibley Field Guide to Birds of Eastern North America|last=Sibley|first=DA|publisher=Alfred A. Knopf|year=2016|isbn=978-0-307-95791-7|location=New York|pages=302–303}}</ref> They have a pale [[Buff (colour)|buff]] [[supercilium]] and brown irises.<ref name=":0" /> Their rump is orange and tail is tawny brown bared with black. Wings are tawny brown bared with black, white and pale [[Buff (colour)|buff]]. They have a white throat and belly with pale buff on the side.<ref name=":0" /><ref name=":10" /> Their beak is long and slender.<ref name=":10" /> and measures on average 6.77 to 6.95&nbsp;mm <ref name=":0" /> The upper [[Beak#Mandibles|mandible]] of the beak is brown while the lower mandible is yellow. They have pink legs and feet.<ref name=":0" /> Juveniles are overall similar to adults but have less streaking on the head and nape and their chest is paler than adults.<ref name=":0" /><ref name=":10" /> The sedge wren can be differentiated from the similar [[marsh wren]] ''(Cistothorus palustris'') by its smaller size, streaked crown and different song.<ref name=":0" />

== Distribution and habitat ==

=== Distribution ===
During the breeding season they are found in the southern half of Alberta and Saskatchewan and in southern Ontario and Quebec in Canada and in the United States, west of the Appalachians, from the Canadian border to Missouri and northern Arkansas. During migration and winter they are found from the southern half of Arkansas down to Texas and Florida.<ref name=":0" />
[[File:Sedge Wren (Cistothorus stellaris) (22276100980).jpg|thumb|278x278px|Sedge wren in tall vegetation]]

=== Habitat ===
During the breeding season, sedge wrens generally occupy meadows and wet grasslands.<ref name=":8">{{Cite journal | last1=Robert|first1=Michel|last2=Jobin|first2=Benoît|last3=Latendresse|first3=Claudie|last4=Giguère|first4=Sylvain|last5=Shaffer|first5=François|date=2009|title=Habitat use by Sedge Wrens in Southern Québec | journal=Wilson Journal of Ornithology | volume=121 | issue=2 | pages=347–358 | jstor=20616906 | doi=10.1676/08-057.1 |s2cid=84147758 }}</ref><ref name=":7" /><ref name=":9">{{Cite journal|last=Bedell|first=Paul A.|date=1996|title=Evidence of dual breeding ranges for the Sedge Wren in the Central Great Plains | journal=Wilson Bulletin|volume=108|issue=1|pages=115–122| jstor=4163643 | url=https://sora.unm.edu/sites/default/files/journals/wilson/v108n01/p0115-p0122.pdf }}</ref><ref name=":6" /> They can however live in wetter areas such as marshes<ref>{{Cite journal|last1=Manci|first1=Karen M.|last2=Rusch|first2=Donald H.|date=1988|title=Indices to distribution and abundance of some inconspicuous waterbirds on Horicon Marsh (Indices de Distribución y Abundancia de Aves Inconspicuas de Área Anegadiza Horicon) |journal=Journal of Field Ornithology|volume=59|issue=1|pages=67–75| jstor=4513297 }}</ref> and dryer habitat such as dry prairies.<ref name=":9" /> They prefer areas with dense and tall grasses and sedges to build their nests.<ref name=":8" /><ref name=":4" /><ref name=":14">{{Cite journal|last=Walkinshaw|first=Lawrence H.| year=1935 | title=Studies of the Short-Billed Marsh Wren (''Cistothorus stellaris'') in Michigan | journal=The Auk | volume=52 | issue=4 | pages=362–369 | doi=10.2307/4077509 | jstor=4077509 | url=https://sora.unm.edu/sites/default/files/journals/auk/v052n04/p0362-p0369.pdf }}</ref>

During winter, migratory sedge wrens can be found in a variety of habitat as long as there are sufficient insects to eat.<ref name=":12">{{cite journal|last1=Brooks | first1=Matthew E.| last2=Stouffer | first2=Philip C. | year=2011 | title=Interspecific variation in habitat preferences of grassland birds wintering in southern pine savannas | journal=Wilson Journal of Ornithology | volume=123 | issue=1 | pages=65–75 | jstor=23033484 | doi=10.1676/10-039.1 | s2cid=5253039}}</ref><ref name=":13">{{Cite journal|last1=Butler|first1=Adam B.|last2=Martin|first2=James A.|last3=Palmer|first3=William E.|last4=Carroll|first4=John P.|year=2009|title=Winter use of South Florida dry prairie by two declining grassland passerines | jstor=10.1525/cond.2009.080080 | journal=The Condor | volume=111| issue=3|pages=511–522|doi=10.1525/cond.2009.080080|doi-access=free}}</ref> For example, they can be found in pine savannas,<ref name=":12" /> dry prairies,<ref name=":13" /> meadows,<ref name=":0" /> marshes,<ref name=":0" /> and bogs.<ref name=":0" />

== Behavior ==

=== Vocalizations ===
 {{Birdsong|url = http://www.xeno-canto.org/species/Cistothorus-platensis|species = Sedge wren|song1 = Cistothorus stellaris - Sedge Wren - XC106011.oga|caption song1 = Example of Sedge wren song|image=Cistothorus stellaris, Isle Royale.jpg}}
Songs usually last 1.5 to 2 seconds and start with 3 to 4 high notes or staccato chips followed by a series of thrills.<ref name=":0" /><ref name=":10" /> While both male and females can produce calls, only the males sing.<ref name=":0" /> Males sing from late winter to early spring on non-breeding grounds and throughout the breeding season to attract mates.<ref name=":0" /><ref name=":3">{{Cite journal|last1=Kroodsma|first1=Donald E.|last2=Verner|first2=Jared|date=1978|title=Complex singing behaviors among Cistothorus wrens | journal=The Auk | volume=95 | issue=4 | pages=703–716 | url=https://sora.unm.edu/sites/default/files/journals/auk/v095n04/p0703-p0716.pdf |jstor=4085357}}</ref> They sing both during the day and the night.<ref name=":0" /> While males usually sing to attract females, they can also engage in countersinging, where a male will respond to another male's song. A male will usually answer the other male with a different song type and frequently change song types during the interaction. Both males also usually sing faster during countersinging. It is hypothesized that they do so to send the maximum amount of stimuli to the listener whether it be a male or a potential mate.<ref name=":3" />

==== Improvisation ====
Sedge wrens improvise their songs rather than learning them from other birds. Lab and field observations demonstrated that males had large ranges of individually unique songs and that their songs were poor imitations of the same template songs. There was also very little song sharing among males. This large variation results from the tendency of North American sedge wrens to move often. North American sedge wrens are nomadic breeders compared to their sedentary central and South American relatives.<ref name=":2">{{Cite journal| last1=Kroodsma | first1=D.E. | last2=Liu | first2=W.C. | last3=Goodwin | first3=E. | last4=Bedell | first4=P.A. | year=1999 | title=The ecology of song improvisation as illustrated by North American Sedge Wrens |journal=The Auk| volume=116 | issue=2 | pages=373–386 |doi=10.2307/4089372 | jstor=4089372 | url=https://sora.unm.edu/sites/default/files/journals/auk/v116n02/p0373-p0386.pdf }}</ref> They breed where moist meadows and grasslands are available and they may not return to the same locations the next year if conditions are not right.<ref name=":2" /> Furthermore, adult birds may switch locations after raising their first [[Offspring|brood]] to go to wetter areas. There is thus a lot of movement and mixing of populations and birds rarely have the same neighbor twice. Therefore, there is no selection for a precise imitation of the neighboring birds and variations arise in the males' songs. Moreover, because their songs vary so much naturally, it decreases the overall variation over large geographic scales and wrens from all over North America can communicate with each other regardless of which population they came from.<ref name=":2" />

=== Diet ===
Sedge wren forage on the ground for insects and spiders.<ref name=":4" /><ref name=":14" /> They eat many types of insects such as moths, flies and grasshoppers.<ref name=":14" />

=== Migration ===
Sedge wrens are [[Bird migration#Short-distance and altitudinal migration|short-distance]]<ref name=":0" /> and [[Nocturnality|nocturnal]] migrants.<ref>{{Cite journal|last=Graber|first=Richard R.| year=1968 | title=Nocturnal migration in Illinois: different points of view | journal=Wilson Bulletin | volume=80 | issue=1 | pages=36–71 | jstor=4159682 | url=https://sora.unm.edu/sites/default/files/journals/wilson/v080n01/p0036-p0071.pdf }}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal| last1=Taylor| first1=Walter Kingsley | last2=Crawford | first2=Robert L.| last3=Kershner | first3=Mark | last4=Gravel | first4=Sandy | year=1983 | title=House wren migration compared with other wrens: an emphasis on Florida | journal=Journal of Field Ornithology | volume=54 | issue=1 | pages=17–28 | jstor=4512783 }}</ref> They leave their wintering grounds between early April and mid-May and usually arrive at their breeding grounds between mid-April and mid-May. They will typically leave their breeding grounds when frost reduces significantly the abundance of insects.<ref name=":4">{{Cite book|chapter-url=http://images.library.wisc.edu/EcoNatRes/EFacs/NAPC/NAPC09/reference/econatres.napc09.pschramm.pdf|title=Proceedings of the Ninth North American Prairie Conference | last1=Schramm | first1=P. | last2=Schramm |first2=D.S. | last3=Johnson | first3=S.G. | publisher=Tri-College University Center for Environmental Studies | year=1986 | location=Fargo, North Dakota|pages=95–99 | chapter=Seasonal phenology and habitat selection of the Sedge Wren ''Cistothorus platensis'' in a restored tallgrass prairie}}</ref> They depart anywhere from August in the northern part of their range to the end of October in the central states to arrive in their wintering grounds starting in early September.<ref name=":0" />

==== Dual breeding migration ====
There is some evidence that some sedge wrens may go through a second migration during the breeding season to breed at a second location. Sedge wrens were observed arriving and breeding from mid to late summer in the [[Central Great Plains (ecoregion)|Central Plains of the United States]] and in Iowa where they were previously absent in early summer.<ref name=":9" /><ref name=":3" /> It is however not actually known if these birds bred somewhere else before. There are several hypotheses to explain this potential second migration. One hypothesis is that these birds are coming from the northern part of their range where shorter summers prevents them from having a second [[wiktionary:brood|brood]] in the same location. Another similar hypothesis is that these birds come from various locations where the environmental conditions changed and were no longer suitable for raising a second brood. A final hypothesis is that males that were not able to breed at their previous location relocate to the central plains. They will then wait for the arrival of females that are relocating and try to breed with them.<ref name=":9" />

=== Reproduction ===
Some males are [[Polygyny in animals|polygynous]] while others are [[Monogamy in animals|monogamous]].<ref name=":6">{{Cite journal|last=Burns|first=Jeffrey T.|year=1982|title=Nests, territories, and reproduction of Sedge Wrens (''Cistothorus platensis'')| journal=Wilson Bulletin |volume=94|issue=3|pages=338–349| jstor=4161644 | url=https://sora.unm.edu/sites/default/files/journals/wilson/v094n03/p0338-p0349.pdf }}</ref><ref name=":5">{{Cite journal|last=Crawford|first=Richard D.| year=1977 |title=Polygynous breeding of Short-Billed Marsh Wrens | journal=The Auk | volume=94 | issue=2 | pages=359–362 |doi=10.1093/auk/94.2.359 | jstor=4085101 | url=https://sora.unm.edu/sites/default/files/journals/auk/v094n02/p0359-p0362.pdf }}</ref> Polygynous males are usually more successful than monogamous males because breeding with multiple females increases their number of offspring.<ref name=":6" /> Males arrive earlier than females at breeding sites to establish territories<ref name=":4" /> and the ones defending territories with more nesting sites and food usually attract more females.<ref name=":6" /> Males are also the ones building the nests. They build multiple nests which serve for nesting, as dormitories and as decoys for predators. The females will then add a lining of grass, sedge and feathers to the nest she chooses.<ref name=":6" /> Nests are round globes of dried grass with a round opening on the side. They are usually built in grasses and sedges about one or two feet above ground or shallow water.<ref name=":7">{{Cite book|title=Life histories of North American nuthatches, wrens, thrashers and their allies;order Passeriformes.|last=Bent|first=Arthur Cleveland|publisher=U.S. Government | year=1948 | location=Washington|pages=265–276|hdl = 2027/uiug.30112101597810}}</ref> Females usually lay seven eggs but it can vary from one to ten eggs which she incubates for 12–16 days.<ref name=":7" /><ref name=":6" /><ref name=":4" /><ref name=":5" /> The eggs are oval shaped with no markings<ref name=":7" /> and measure on average {{cvt|16|by|12|mm}}.<ref name=":7" /><ref name=":5" /> The young [[hatchling]]s are [[altricial]].<ref name=":0" /> The females do most of the parental care and feeding whilst the males continue to build nests and display for other females.<ref name=":6" /><ref name=":4" /> However, males will also occasionally feed the young.<ref name=":4" /> The young leave the nest after 11–16 days.<ref name=":4" /><ref name=":5" /> Some early breeding females can also have a second brood later in the season.<ref name=":6" />

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
{{Commons|Cistothorus platensis|the sedge wren}}{{Wikispecies|Cistothorus platensis|Sedge Wren}}
* [http://www.birds.cornell.edu/AllAboutBirds/BirdGuide/Sedge_Wren.html Species account] - Cornell Lab of Ornithology
* [http://www.mbr-pwrc.usgs.gov/id/framlst/i7240id.html Identification tips] - USGS Patuxent Bird Identification InfoCenter
* {{usurped|1=[https://web.archive.org/web/20001021122733/http://www.bird-stamps.org/cspecies/13506400.htm Stamps]}} for [[Falkland Islands]]; (includes range map)
* [http://ibc.hbw.com/ibc/phtml/especie.phtml?idEspecie=5769 Videos, photos and sound] - Internet Bird Collection
* [http://vireo.acnatsci.org/search.html?Form=Search&SEARCHBY=Common&KEYWORDS=sedge+wren&showwhat=images&AGE=All&SEX=All&ACT=All&Search=Search&VIEW=All&ORIENTATION=All&RESULTS=24 Photo gallery] - VIREO
*[[c:File:Cistothorus_platensis,_Serra_da_Canastra,_Minas_Gerais,_Brasil.jpg|Taxonbar image]]
*[http://www.xeno-canto.org/106011 Sedge wren song]
*[https://www.flickr.com/photos/acryptozoo/22276100980/ Habitat image]

{{Taxonbar|from=Q22575825}}

[[Category:Cistothorus|sedge wren]]
[[Category:Birds of the Americas]]
[[Category:Native birds of the Canadian Prairies]]
[[Category:Native birds of Eastern Canada]]
[[Category:Native birds of the Plains-Midwest (United States)]]
[[Category:Native birds of the Northeastern United States]]
[[Category:Birds of South America]]
[[Category:Páramo fauna]]
[[Category:Birds described in 1823|sedge wren]]
[[Category:Taxa named by Johann Friedrich Naumann|sedge wren]]