Wrentit
Wrentit has held roughly steady: down 4% on the route-weighted index since 1970.
About the Wrentit
The Wrentit (Chamaea fasciata) is a North American member of the Sylviid Warblers (Sylviidae). In this analysis it is grouped with the forest birds.
- Size
- 4.5–5.5 in long (12–14 cm) — a small 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 187 Breeding Bird Survey routes across 2 states, most concentrated in the Coastal California.
- Family
- Sylviidae · Forest birds
Notable Wrentit Trends
No notable trend signals for Wrentit. See the full index history below.
Wrentit Population Forecast
If the recent trend holds, Wrentit is projected to fall about 19% by 2029 — from 0.28 in 2024 to a central estimate of 0.23 (95% range 0.02–0.43). A 5-year backtest shows a typical error of ±20.5%, with 100% of held-out values landing inside the 95% band.
| Year | Projected index | 95% low | 95% high |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 0.24 | 0.04 | 0.45 |
| 2026 | 0.24 | 0.04 | 0.45 |
| 2027 | 0.24 | 0.03 | 0.44 |
| 2028 | 0.23 | 0.03 | 0.44 |
| 2029 | 0.23 | 0.02 | 0.43 |
Where the Wrentit Is Detected
BBS routes recording Wrentit, sized by most recent count.
Wrentit Population Trend by State
| California | -22% | 1970 | 154 |
| Oregon | +105% | 1971 | 33 |
Wrentit Population Trend by Region
Bird Conservation Regions are the ecological unit for trends.
| Northern Pacific Rainforest | -74% | 1970 | 65 |
| Great Basin | -49% | 1973 | 6 |
| Sierra Nevada | -53% | 1972 | 26 |
| Coastal California | +22% | 1970 | 86 |
| Sonoran and Mojave Deserts | -74% | 1979 | 4 |
Wrentit Conservation Status
Our route-weighted index shows it down about 4% since 1970.
Source: USGS North American Breeding Bird Survey, retrieved 2026-05-22. Trend is a route-weighted relative-abundance index, not an absolute population.