Sedge Wren
Sedge Wren has edged down: down 19% on the route-weighted index since 1968.
About the Sedge Wren
The Sedge Wren (Cistothorus stellaris) is a North American member of the Wrens (Troglodytidae). In this analysis it is grouped with the grassland birds.
- Size
- 4–8.5 in long (10–22 cm) — a small, energetic songbird (typical for the family)
- Habitat
- Open grasslands, prairie, pasture and hayfields.
- Diet
- Seeds and insects gathered from grasses and the ground.
- Range
- Recorded on 530 Breeding Bird Survey routes across 24 states, most concentrated in the Eastern Tallgrass Prairie.
- Family
- Troglodytidae · Grassland birds
Notable Sedge Wren Trends
No notable trend signals for Sedge Wren. See the full index history below.
Sedge Wren Population Forecast
If the recent trend holds, Sedge Wren is projected to rise about 32% by 2029 — from 0.26 in 2024 to a central estimate of 0.34 (95% range 0.19–0.49). A 5-year backtest shows a typical error of ±49.1%, with 80% of held-out values landing inside the 95% band.
| Year | Projected index | 95% low | 95% high |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 0.33 | 0.19 | 0.48 |
| 2026 | 0.34 | 0.19 | 0.48 |
| 2027 | 0.34 | 0.19 | 0.48 |
| 2028 | 0.34 | 0.19 | 0.48 |
| 2029 | 0.34 | 0.19 | 0.49 |
Where the Sedge Wren Is Detected
BBS routes recording Sedge Wren, sized by most recent count.
Sedge Wren Population Trend by State
| Connecticut | insufficient data | n/a | 3 |
| Delaware | insufficient data | n/a | 2 |
| Illinois | -55% | 1969 | 54 |
| Indiana | -71% | 1975 | 23 |
| Iowa | +173% | 1970 | 34 |
| Kansas | +16% | 1982 | 12 |
| Kentucky | insufficient data | n/a | 4 |
| Maine | insufficient data | n/a | 3 |
| Maryland | insufficient data | n/a | 2 |
| Massachusetts | insufficient data | n/a | 1 |
| Michigan | -74% | 1968 | 68 |
| Minnesota | +22% | 1969 | 87 |
| Missouri | -91% | 1969 | 20 |
| Montana | insufficient data | n/a | 2 |
| Nebraska | +84% | 1983 | 16 |
| New Hampshire | insufficient data | n/a | 2 |
| New York | -7% | 1971 | 18 |
| North Dakota | +568% | 1970 | 45 |
| Ohio | -18% | 1989 | 10 |
| Pennsylvania | insufficient data | n/a | 3 |
| South Dakota | 11× | 1969 | 25 |
| Vermont | insufficient data | n/a | 2 |
| Virginia | insufficient data | n/a | 1 |
| Wisconsin | -41% | 1968 | 93 |
Sedge Wren Population Trend by Region
Bird Conservation Regions are the ecological unit for trends.
| Prairie Potholes | +588% | 1969 | 96 |
| Boreal Hardwood Transition | -1% | 1968 | 98 |
| Lower Great Lakes / St. Lawrence Plain | +34% | 1969 | 19 |
| Badlands and Prairies | -48% | 1997 | 15 |
| Central Mixed Grass Prairie | -17% | 1982 | 12 |
| Eastern Tallgrass Prairie | -41% | 1969 | 127 |
| Prairie Hardwood Transition | -42% | 1968 | 127 |
| Central Hardwoods | -68% | 1973 | 12 |
| New England / Mid-Atlantic Coast | +130% | 1971 | 9 |
Sedge Wren Conservation Status
Our route-weighted index shows it down about 18% since 1968. Grassland birds are North America's steepest-declining group, down roughly 50% since 1970 as prairie and pasture were lost.
Source: USGS North American Breeding Bird Survey, retrieved 2026-05-22. Trend is a route-weighted relative-abundance index, not an absolute population.