Dominica Botanic Gardens Roseau, Commonwealth of Dominica, West Indies

Source: Dominica’s Birds Photo: Luis Cesar Tejo Photo: R. S. Scanlon

Description: A small, active, cinnamon-brown bird, 11.5-13 cm long (4.5-5 in), widespread in Dominica; loud and conspicuous, and relatively tame and bold; has reddish-brown upperparts, and variable brown to tan underparts; bill short and thin, either all dark or with yellow lower mandible; has pale eyebrow stripe; throat is variable light brown to tan; wings and tail heavily barred with black; often tail characteristically erect; males and females similar; inhabits a range of zones from upland forest to arid coastal regions and human settlement; eats small insects, spiders, millipedes and small snails; with its melodious singing, is one of the best songbirds in the Eastern Caribbean; there are several subspecies of House Wren differentiated by such features as plumage shading, barring and vocalization in their various ecological niches. In the Gardens, the House Wren might be seen near the offices in the economic crops section; click here to listen to its call, and here to see its video. References: Arlington James, et al. Dominica’s Birds. Forestry, Wildlife and Parks Division, Ministry of Agriculture and the Environment, Dominica, 2005 James Bond. Birds of the West Indies. Collins, St James Place, London, 4th Edition, 1979 Fred J. Alsop III. Birds of Florida. Smithsonian Handbooks, Dorling Kindersley, NewYork, 2002 Herbert Raffaele, et al. Birds of the West Indies. Princeton Field Guides, Princeton University Press, Princeton, NJ, 2003.