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Wrens (Troglodytidae)

Northern Wren (Troglodytes troglodytes) - HBW 10, p. 432

French: Troglodyte mignon German: Zaunkönig Spanish: Chochín Común
Other common names: Wren, Common/Holarctic Wren; Winter Wren (America)

Taxonomy: Motacilla Troglodytes Linnaeus, 1758, Sweden.
It has been proposed, on the basis of DNA analysis, that this species is sufficiently distinct from its congeners (all confined to New World) to warrant placement in its own monotypic genus, for which the name Nannus is available. Recent DNA work suggests that it contains six distinct clades, in, respectively, W Nearctic, E Nearctic, Europe, E Asia, Nepal, and Caucasus, indicating cryptic speciation. Also, vocal differences exist between birds in W Nearctic and those in E, and both differ also from Old World birds, suggesting that at least three species may be involved. Numerous races .. View all taxonomy...

Taxonomy: Motacilla Troglodytes Linnaeus, 1758, Sweden.
It has been proposed, on the basis of DNA analysis, that this species is sufficiently distinct from its congeners (all confined to New World) to warrant placement in its own monotypic genus, for which the name Nannus is available. Recent DNA work suggests that it contains six distinct clades, in, respectively, W Nearctic, E Nearctic, Europe, E Asia, Nepal, and Caucasus, indicating cryptic speciation. Also, vocal differences exist between birds in W Nearctic and those in E, and both differ also from Old World birds, suggesting that at least three species may be involved. Numerous races of doubtful validity have been described. Race orii (Daito Is, in Japan) extinct. Forty-four extant subspecies recognized.

Subspecies and Distribution:

  • islandicus Hartert, 1907 - Iceland.
  • borealis Fischer, 1861 - Faroe Is.
  • zetlandicus Hartert, 1910 - Shetland Is.

     See all 44 subspecies
  • islandicus Hartert, 1907 - Iceland.
  • borealis Fischer, 1861 - Faroe Is.
  • zetlandicus Hartert, 1910 - Shetland Is.
  • fridariensis Williamson, 1951 - Fair I (S of Shetland Is).
  • hirtensis Seebohm, 1884 - St Kilda, in Outer Hebrides, off W Scotland.
  • hebridensis Meinertzhagen, 1924 - Outer Hebrides (except St Kilda).
  • indigenus Clancey, 1937 - Britain (except Shetland Is and Outer Hebrides) and Ireland.
  • troglodytes (Linnaeus, 1758) - much of mainland Europe, from Scandinavia E to Urals, S to Iberia, Italy and Greece.
  • kabylorum Hartert, 1910 - Balearic Is and N Africa (Morocco E to Tunisia), perhaps also S Spain.
  • koenigi Schiebel, 1910 - Corsica and Sardinia.
  • juniperi Hartert, 1922 - NE Libya (from about Tocra Pass E to Darnah).
  • cypriotes (Bate, 1903) - Cyprus and N Middle East (S to N Israel).
  • hyrcanus Zarudny & Loudon, 1905 - Crimea, Caucasus, N Turkey and N Iran.
  • zagrossiensis Zarudny & Loudon, 1908 - W Iran (Zagros Mts).
  • tianschanicus Sharpe, 1882 - mountains from Tien Shan (possibly from Altai) S to Pamir and NE Afghanistan.
  • subpallidus Zarudny & Loudon, 1905 - NE Iran E to S Uzbekistan and NW Afghanistan.
  • magrathi (Whitehead, 1907) - SE Afghanistan and adjacent W Pakistan.
  • neglectus W. E. Brooks, 1872 - W Himalayas (Gilgit E to W Nepal).
  • nipalensis Blyth, 1845 - C & E Himalayas (Nepal E to NE India and S Tibet).
  • idius (Richmond, 1907) - NC China (NE Qinghai and Gansu E to Hebei).
  • szetschuanus Hartert, 1910 - WC China (E Xizang, SE Qinghai, W Sichuan).
  • talifuensis (Sharpe, 1902) - S China (S Sichuan, N Yunnan) and NE Myanmar.
  • dauricus Dybowski & Taczanowski, 1884 - SE Siberia, NE China, Korea, and Tsushima I (SW Japan).
  • pallescens (Ridgway, 1883) - Kamchatka Peninsula and Commander Is.
  • kurilensis Stejneger, 1889 - N Kuril Is.
  • fumigatus Temminck, 1835 - S Kuril Is, Sakhalin, and Japan (including islands of Quelpart and Iki).
  • mosukei Momiyama, 1923 - Izu Is, off SE Honshu (Japan).
  • ogawae Hartert, 1910 - Tanegashima and Yakushima islands, off S Kyushu (Japan).
  • taivanus Hartert, 1910 - Taiwan.
  • alascensis S. F. Baird, 1869 - Pribilof Is (St George, St Paul, Otter).
  • meligerus (Oberholser, 1900) - W Aleutian Is (Attu, Buldir).
  • kiskensis (Oberholser, 1919) - W Aleutians (Kiska, Little Kiska, Amchitka, Oglinga).
  • tanagensis (Oberholser, 1919) - WC Aleutians (Tanaga, Adak, Atka).
  • seguamensis Gabrielson & Lincoln, 1951 - C Aleutians (Seguam, Amutka, Yunaska).
  • petrophilus (Oberholser, 1919) - Unalaska, in E Aleutians.
  • stevensoni (Oberholser, 1930) - W Alaska Peninsula, including Amak I and Amagat I.
  • ochroleucus Rea, 1986 - islands of Baranoff, Admiralty, Chichagof, Mitkof and Kupreanof, off S Alaska Peninsula.
  • semidiensis (Brooks, 1915) - Semidi Is, off S Alaska Peninsula.
  • helleri (Osgood, 1901) - Kodiak I and Afognak I, off S Alaska.
  • pacificus S. F. Baird, 1864 - breeds W North America from SE Alaska, SW Yukon, British Columbia and SW Alberta S in USA to Oregon; non-breeding S to Arizona and S California.
  • muiri Rea, 1986 - coastal W USA from SW Oregon S to C California.
  • obscurior Rea, 1986 - interior W USA from Oregon (S from Cascades) S to EC California (also on C coast S from San Francisco Bay) and Nevada.
  • hiemalis Vieillot, 1819 - breeds E North America from C Canada E to Newfoundland and in NE USA (Wisconsin E to New York and Pennsylvania); non-breeding from S Canada (S Ontario) S to Texas and Florida, rarely to NE Mexico.
  • pullus (Burleigh, 1935) - breeds in Appalachians (from Virginia and West Virginia S to Georgia); non-breeding range not known.

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