wren

Any of various small brownish songbirds of the family Troglodytidae, having rounded wings, a slender bill, and a short, often erect tail. All species but one, which is Eurasian, are found only in the Americas.

Any of various similar unrelated songbirds.

A very small migratory and insectivorous singing-bird of Great Britain and other European countries, with a slender bill and extremely short tail, and of dark reddish-brown coloration varied with black, inhabiting shrubbery, and belonging to the family Troglodytidæ; hence, any member of this family, and, with a qualifying term, one of various other small birds of different families, as certain warblers, kinglets, etc. See the phrases below.

The goldcrest or kinglet, Regulus cristatus. See cut under goldcrest.

Uropsila leucogastra, of Oaxaca and Tamaulipas in Mexico, originally described by J. Gould in 1836 as Troglodytes leucogastra, a name subsequently misused to denote the white-bellied wren .

(See also cactus-wren, cañon-wren, marsh-wren, reed-wren, tule-wren, willow-wren, wood-wren.)

Any one of numerous species of small singing birds belonging to Troglodytes and numerous allied of the family Troglodytidæ.

Any one of numerous species of small singing birds more or less resembling the true wrens in size and habits.

any one of numerous South American birds of the family Formicaridæ, allied to the ant thrushes.

a small Australian singing bird (Malurus cyaneus), the male of which in the breeding season is bright blue. Called also superb warbler.