Amado Territory Ranch Inn
P.O.    Box 6336 3001 E. Frontage Road, Amado, AZ 85645
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The Cactus Wren
Birding in Southern Arizona

Another quirky resident of the Southwest USA and the State Bird of Arizona, the cactus wren is always fun to watch.

It is about 7-9 inches long with a marked white eyestripe. It's body is a collection of bars, spots and markings that make it very distinctive. It is a master of noise making, with a loud call and seems to scold a lot.

You will often see the cactus wren on the ground, flipping over leaves and other debris in search of insects. It also looks for them around window and roof ledges. The cactus wren rarely eats seed but it does relish fruit now and then. All the water intake is from food, even if water is available.

It is a bird totally adpated to arid regions, and is often found around yucca, mesquite or saguaro; it nests in cactus plants, sometimes in a hole in a saguaro, sometimes where its nest will be protected by the prickly cactus spines of a cholla or leaves of a yucca.

Cactus wrens form permanent pairs and are very protective over their territory, where they will live all year long. Photo by Mark Wagner.