West · Central Flyway
Wrens in Colorado
Wrens in Colorado come down to 9 species with regular eBird records, led by the House Wren. Together they account for 228,315 of the 16 million eBird records from 2020–2024 — 1.4% of everything reported in the state.
The full list: House Wren, Rock Wren, Marsh Wren, Canyon Wren, Bewick's Wren, Winter Wren, Carolina Wren, Pacific Wren and Sedge Wren. Wrens are small, brown, energetic birds with cocked tails and remarkably loud songs for their size. Some are year-round residents that sing all winter; others arrive in spring and nest in cavities, boxes, and any sheltered nook they can find.
Wrens in Colorado: every species, most-reported first
Every wren with at least 25 eBird records in the state from 2020–2024, most-reported first. The status label is derived from each species’ own monthly share of all state records.
1. House Wren (Troglodytes aedon) — 164,024 records, 1.0% of the state’s eBird total; a summer visitor, present mainly from May to September and peaking in June.
2. Rock Wren (Salpinctes obsoletus) — 26,679 records, 0.2% of the state’s eBird total; a summer visitor, present mainly from April to October and peaking in September.
3. Marsh Wren (Cistothorus palustris) — 15,056 records, 0.09% of the state’s eBird total; a year-round resident, reported in every month.
4. Canyon Wren (Catherpes mexicanus) — 10,241 records, 0.06% of the state’s eBird total; a year-round resident, reported in every month.
5. Bewick's Wren (Thryomanes bewickii) — 9,385 records, 0.06% of the state’s eBird total; a year-round resident, reported in every month.
6. Winter Wren (Troglodytes hiemalis) — 1,801 records, 0.01% of the state’s eBird total; a winter visitor, present mainly from November to February and peaking in January.
7. Carolina Wren (Thryothorus ludovicianus) — 407 records, 0.00% of the state’s eBird total; a passage migrant, reported mainly in January, February, April and May with a peak in May.
8. Pacific Wren (Troglodytes pacificus) — 381 records, 0.00% of the state’s eBird total; a passage migrant, reported mainly in January and February with a peak in February.
9. Sedge Wren (Cistothorus platensis) — 341 records, 0.00% of the state’s eBird total; a passage migrant, reported mainly in January and October with a peak in October.
When to see wrens in Colorado
Adding up every species’ share of state eBird records month by month, wrens are most prominent in June, July and May and least in February and March. 3 of the 9 species are year-round — Marsh Wren, Canyon Wren and Bewick's Wren — so there is no month without them.
Summer visitors. House Wren arrives around May and is mostly gone after September (peak June); Rock Wren arrives around April and is mostly gone after October (peak September).
Winter visitors. Winter Wren arrives around November and leaves after February (peak January).
Passage migrants. Carolina Wren is reported mainly in January, February, April and May; Pacific Wren is reported mainly in January and February; Sedge Wren is reported mainly in January and October.
Attracting wrens to Colorado backyards
Wrens are insect-eaters that mostly ignore seed, though some take suet and mealworms. A small-holed nest box, brush piles, and leaving leaf litter under shrubs bring them in.
In Colorado the wren most likely to turn up is the House Wren.
Wrens in Colorado: FAQ
How many species of wrens are there in Colorado?
9 species of wrens have regular eBird records in Colorado (at least 25 records in 2020–2024): House Wren, Rock Wren, Marsh Wren, Canyon Wren, Bewick's Wren, Winter Wren, Carolina Wren, Pacific Wren and Sedge Wren.
What is the most common wren in Colorado?
The House Wren, with 164,024 eBird records in 2020–2024, followed by the Rock Wren with 26,679. It is a summer visitor, present mainly from May to September and peaking in June.
When is the best time to see wrens in Colorado?
June, July and May, when the combined share of Colorado eBird records belonging to wrens is highest. Summer visitors such as the House Wren arrive around May. Winter visitors such as the Winter Wren arrive around November.
More birds in Colorado
Wrens in other states
Wrens in Colorado: sources
Every number on this page comes from the EOD – eBird Observation Dataset published by the Cornell Lab of Ornithology and distributed through GBIF under a CC BY 4.0 license: Colorado records from 2020–2024, retrieved 2026-09-18. Species are drawn from the families Troglodytidae; only species with at least 25 records are listed, and a species is called a year-round resident when its monthly share of state records stays above 30% of its own peak in ten or more months. “Records” are individual eBird observations, so they reflect how often birders report a species, not a population count.