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The Carolina wren (Thryothorus ludovicianus) is a common species of wren that is a resident in the eastern half of the United States of America, the extreme south of Ontario, Canada, and the extreme northeast of Mexico. Severe winters restrict the northern limits of their range, while favorable weather conditions lead to a northward extension of their breeding range. Their preferred habitat is in dense cover in forest, farm edges, and suburban areas. This wren is the state bird of South Carolina. Seven recognized subspecies occur across the range of these wrens and they differ slightly in song and appearance. The birds are generally inconspicuous, avoiding the open for extended periods of time. When out in the open, they investigate their surroundings and are rarely stationary. After finding a mate, pairs maintain a territory and stay together for several years. Both males and females give out alarm calls, but only males sing to advertise territory. Carolina wrens raise multiple broods during the summer breeding season, but can fall victim to brood parasitism by brown-headed cowbirds, among other species. Some populations have been affected by mercury contamination. Taxonomy The Carolina wren was first described under the name of Sylvia ludoviciana by John Latham in 1790. Louis Pierre Vieillot considered all wrens under the genus Troglodytes and called the Carolina wren Troglodytes arundinaceus, but placed it subsequently in a separate genus Thryothorus (initially misspelled Thriothorus ) that he created in 1816. Etymology The genus name Thryothorus is of Greek origin from the combination of the noun θρύον : thrýon ("rush, reed") and the adjective θοῦρος : thoũros ("rushing, impetuous"; derivative of verb θρῴσκειν : thrōskein to leap up, spring, jump at). Thus, Thryothorus means 'reed jumper'. Its specific name ludovicianus is a post-classical Latin term for Ludovicus (derivative from Louis XIV) that means 'of Louisiana' that identifies the locality of the specimen collected near New Orleans. Species Thryothorus used to be the largest genus in the family Troglodytidae, with 27 species, but molecular phylogenetic studies revealed that it represented a polyphyletic assemblage of at least four independent clades now recognized at the genus level. The Carolina wren is now the only species within this genus. The seven recognized subspecies of the Carolina wren are: T. l. ludovicianus (Latham, 1790) – southeast Canada (southern Ontario, irregularly in eastern and southern Quebec) and the eastern United States (southern Wisconsin and New England southward to Texas and northern Florida) T. l. miamensis Florida wren (Ridgway, 1875) – Florida from approximately 30°N (Gainesville) region southward through the rest of the state T. l. nesophilus (Stevenson, 1973) – Dog Island in northwestern Florida T. l. burleighi – Burleigh's Carolina wren (Lowery, 1940) Offshore islands off of the Mississippi coast: Cat Island, Ship Island (Mississippi), and Horn Island T. l. lomitensis – Lomita wren (Sennett, 1890) southern Texas to the extreme northeast of Mexico (Tamaulipas) T. l. berlandieri – Berlandier's wren (S. F. Baird, 1858) - northeastern Mexico (eastern Coahuila, Nuevo León, and southwestern Tamaulipas) T. l. tropicalis – northeastern Mexico (eastern San Luis Potosí and southern Tamaulipas) T. ludovicianus is traditionally placed within its own genus as its only representative of North America, but recent DNA work suggests it is closely allied with the Bewick's wren. A distinct population in the Yucatán Peninsula of Mexico, Belize, Nicaragua, and in Guatemala is treated as a separate species, either known as Cabot's wren or white-browed wren (Thryothorus albinucha). It is considered a subspecies of T. ludovicianus by some authors, however. Description At 12.5 to 14 cm (4.9 to 5.5 in) long, with a 29 cm (11 in) wingspan and a weight of about 18 to 23 g (0.63 to 0.81 oz), the Carolina wren is a fairly large wren; the second largest in the United States species after the cactus wren. Among standard measurements, the wing chord is 5.4 to 6.4 cm (2.1 to 2.5 in), the tail is 4.5 to 5.6 cm (1.8 to 2.2 in), the culmen is 1.4 to 1.8 cm (0.55 to 0.71 in) and the tarsus is 2 to 2.3 cm (0.79 to 0.91 in). Sexual dimorphism is slight with males being larger than their mates. A study indicated that of 42 mated pairs, every male but one was larger than the female of the pair. The males were on average 11 percent heavier along with having longer wing chords. Several differences are seen among the subspecies. For T. l. ludovicianus, the crown is rich brown that appears more chestnut-colored on its rump and upper tail coverts. Shoulders and greater coverts are a rich brown, with a series of small white dots on the lesser primary coverts. The secondary coverts are rich brown with a darker brown barring on both webs; the bars on the primaries are on the outerwebs only, but darker and more noticeable. The rectrices are brown with 18 to 20 bars that span across the tail. The white supercilious streak borders thinly with a black above and below, and extends above and beyond its shoulders. The ear coverts are speckled gray and grayish-black. Its chin and throat are grey that becomes buff on its chest, flank and belly, though the latter two are of a warmer color. The underwing coverts sport a grayish buff color. Its iris is reddish-brown, the upper mandible is lemon-colored and paler at the base and lower mandible. The legs are flesh-colored. As for the other subspecies in contrast to T. l. ludovicianus, T. l. berlandieri is of a slightly smaller build, but possesses a larger bill, the upperparts are duller brown with deeper colored underparts, T. l. lomitensis is of a duller color (than either ludovicianus or berlandieri) with its underparts either pale or almost white, T. l. miamensis contains darker rusty chestnut upperparts and deeper colored below. T. l. burleighi is duller and sootier with less distinct tail markings, T. l. mesophilus has paler underparts and a whiter supercilium, and T. l. tropicalis is darker than all races, and contains heavier bars than T. l. berlandieri. Plumage The juvenile T.l. ludovicianus is similar in appearance, but the plumage is generally paler; a softer texture, buff-tipped wing coverts, and a paler superciliary streak. In August and September, the partial plumage molt for the post-juvenile wrens is darker in color and affects the contour plumage, wing coverts, tail and develops a whiter superciliary stripe. The post-nuptial molt for adults in the same time period is more pronounced in color than the spring molt, with both sexes similar in appearance. Life span Survival rates differ by region. A male captured in Arkansas lived to be at least 73 months old, and in Alabama, the oldest female and male captured were six and ten years old, respectively. In a survival probability mark-and-recapture study conducted within the Southeastern United States from .... Discover the Elliott Lang popular books. Find the top 100 most popular Elliott Lang books.