Rock wren, Salpinctes obsoletus, photographed at Badlands National Park, South Dakota, USA.
Image: Terry Sohl, 5 July 2010. [velociraptorize]. I encourage you to purchase images from this generous photographer.
Canon 50D, 400 5.6L.
Question: This North American mystery bird has several interesting characters, can you tell me about those?
Response: This is an adult rock wren, Salpinctes obsoletus, the only member of its genus, Salpinctes. These birds are well-adapted to life in arid regions of the western United States. For example, they never drink water, even when it is freely available. Instead, they get all the water they need from their diet of insects and spiders.
Rock wrens, which nest in rock crevices, typically construct a walkway from small, flat stones or pebbles that leads to their nest cavity. The purpose of this "sidewalk" is unknown but it can give away the location of the bird's nest to sharp-eyed humans.
Like all wrens, the male rock wren is an amazing singer. He often will have a song repertoire of 100 or more song types, many of which he learns from his neighbors.
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