Bewick's Wren
Bewick's Wren has risen sharply: up 62% on the route-weighted index since 1968.
About the Bewick's Wren
The Bewick's Wren (Thryomanes bewickii) is a North American member of the Wrens (Troglodytidae). In this analysis it is grouped with the forest birds.
- Size
- 4–8.5 in long (10–22 cm) — a small, energetic songbird (typical for the family)
- Habitat
- Woodlands and forest edges, including wooded suburbs and parks.
- Diet
- Insects and spiders gleaned from foliage and bark, with seeds and berries in season.
- Range
- Recorded on 1,058 Breeding Bird Survey routes across 29 states, most concentrated in the Southern Rockies / Colorado Plateau.
- Family
- Troglodytidae · Forest birds
Notable Bewick's Wren Trends
Bewick's Wren has risen sharply in surveyed states: up 62% on the route-weighted index since 1968.
Bewick's Wren Population Forecast
If the recent trend holds, Bewick's Wren is projected to stay roughly flat through 2029, near 0.97 (95% range 0.61–1.3). A 5-year backtest shows a typical error of ±33.3%, with 80% of held-out values landing inside the 95% band.
| Year | Projected index | 95% low | 95% high |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 0.97 | 0.60 | 1.3 |
| 2026 | 0.97 | 0.60 | 1.3 |
| 2027 | 0.97 | 0.60 | 1.3 |
| 2028 | 0.97 | 0.61 | 1.3 |
| 2029 | 0.97 | 0.61 | 1.3 |
Where the Bewick's Wren Is Detected
BBS routes recording Bewick's Wren, sized by most recent count.
Bewick's Wren Population Trend by State
| Alabama | insufficient data | n/a | 6 |
| Arizona | -51% | 1970 | 64 |
| Arkansas | -70% | 1969 | 12 |
| California | +14% | 1970 | 222 |
| Colorado | +92% | 1973 | 57 |
| Idaho | insufficient data | n/a | 2 |
| Illinois | insufficient data | n/a | 6 |
| Indiana | insufficient data | n/a | 1 |
| Iowa | insufficient data | n/a | 1 |
| Kansas | -23% | 1969 | 24 |
| Kentucky | -97% | 1968 | 29 |
| Maryland | insufficient data | n/a | 1 |
| Mississippi | -73% | 1968 | 10 |
| Missouri | -93% | 1969 | 51 |
| Nevada | +890% | 1971 | 28 |
| New Mexico | +210% | 1971 | 55 |
| North Carolina | insufficient data | n/a | 1 |
| Ohio | -66% | 1968 | 8 |
| Oklahoma | -54% | 1969 | 63 |
| Oregon | +72% | 1970 | 57 |
| Pennsylvania | insufficient data | n/a | 2 |
| Tennessee | -95% | 1968 | 31 |
| Texas | -9% | 1969 | 180 |
| Utah | -8% | 1981 | 56 |
| Virginia | -90% | 1968 | 8 |
| Washington | +35% | 1970 | 61 |
| West Virginia | -81% | 1970 | 15 |
| Wisconsin | insufficient data | n/a | 1 |
| Wyoming | -86% | 1992 | 6 |
Bewick's Wren Population Trend by Region
Bird Conservation Regions are the ecological unit for trends.
| Northern Pacific Rainforest | +43% | 1970 | 102 |
| Great Basin | +340% | 1970 | 96 |
| Northern Rockies | -39% | 1976 | 19 |
| Sierra Nevada | -72% | 1970 | 33 |
| Southern Rockies / Colorado Plateau | -5% | 1970 | 129 |
| Shortgrass Prairie | -28% | 1969 | 41 |
| Central Mixed Grass Prairie | +9% | 1969 | 64 |
| Edwards Plateau | +31% | 1969 | 19 |
| Oaks and Prairies | -22% | 1969 | 61 |
| Eastern Tallgrass Prairie | -55% | 1968 | 42 |
| Central Hardwoods | -97% | 1968 | 84 |
| West Gulf Coastal Plain / Ouachitas | -71% | 1969 | 22 |
| Southeastern Coastal Plain | -96% | 1968 | 24 |
| Appalachian Mountains | -97% | 1968 | 43 |
| Coastal California | +25% | 1970 | 114 |
| Sonoran and Mojave Deserts | +68% | 1970 | 46 |
| Sierra Madre Occidental | -62% | 1970 | 36 |
| Chihuahuan Desert | +26% | 1969 | 43 |
| Tamaulipan Brushlands | +12% | 1969 | 27 |
| Gulf Coastal Prairie | +226% | 1991 | 10 |
Bewick's Wren Conservation Status
Our route-weighted index shows it up about 62% since 1968.
Source: USGS North American Breeding Bird Survey, retrieved 2026-05-22. Trend is a route-weighted relative-abundance index, not an absolute population.