Troglodytes troglodytes

The Eurasian wren is an incredibly small bird with a big reputation, though mostly unknown outside of Europe. They are commonly found in forests and in towns. They are famous in part for singing their song even through winter. Despite this, for some unknown, possibly stupid reason the Winter Wren is given to the North American bird. It makes even less sense when described below.

## Subspecies

The Eurasian Wren is currently considered to have the following subspecies:

* Faeroe wren, *Troglodytes troglodytes borealis*
* East Mediterranean wren, *Troglodytes troglodytes cypriotes*
* *Troglodytes troglodytes dauricus*
* Fair Isle wren, *Troglodytes troglodytes fridariensis*
* Sooty wren, *Troglodytes troglodytes fumigatus*
* Hebrides wren, *Troglodytes troglodytes hebridensis*
* St. Kilda wren, *Troglodytes troglodytes hirtensis*
* Caucasian wren, *Troglodytes troglodytes hyrcanus*
* *Troglodytes troglodytes idius*
* British wren, *Troglodytes troglodytes indigenus*
* Icelandic wren, *Troglodytes troglodytes islandicus*
* Libyan wren, *Troglodytes troglodytes juniperi*
* West Mediterranean wren, *Troglodytes troglodytes kabylorum*
* Corsican wren, *Troglodytes troglodytes koenigi*
* Kuril Islands wren, *Troglodytes troglodytes kurilensis*
* Magrath's wren, *Troglodytes troglodytes magrathi*
* *Troglodytes troglodytes mosukei*
* Caucasian wren, *Troglodytes troglodytes neglectus*
* Nepal wren, *Troglodytes troglodytes nipalensis*
* *Troglodytes troglodytes ogawae*
* Daito wren, *Troglodytes troglodytes orii* – validity doubtful; extinct (c. 1940)
* *Troglodytes troglodytes pallescens*
* *Troglodytes troglodytes subpallidus*
* *Troglodytes troglodytes szetschuanus*
* *Troglodytes troglodytes taivanus*
* Tian Shan wren, *Troglodytes troglodytes tianschanicus*
* *Troglodytes troglodytes talifuensis*
* Northern wren, *Troglodytes troglodytes troglodytes*
* *Troglodytes troglodytes zagrossiensis*
* Shetland wren, *Troglodytes troglodytes zetlandicus*

## Mythology

In Aristophane's story "Birds", wrens were described as being the king of birds, which is supposed to be surprising for the listeners/readers. When discussed that birds are to be honored beside the gods, it is suggested that when honoring Zeus, one should slay a male gnat as a sacrifice to the wren.

There is a holiday on December 26 called Wren Day, which is celebrated as an old Pagan tradition on the British Isles, in which a group of young boys murder the first wren they can find and put it on a pole for the celebrations. The boy who found and killed the bird is called the Wren King. The nursery rhyme the Cutty Wren may be based on this holiday. As the holidays coincide, it is either confused with or merged together with St. Stephens' Day.

There is also a story from the original Grimm's tales of a wolf and bear who mocked the wren's children, the king of birds who lives in a humble, normal home instead of a hall. As a result a war between the mammals and the flying animals (including insects) starts. It ends when the clever wren commands the wasp to sting the signaling fox's anus several times, and as a result of his mis-signalling the mammals turn against themselves. In English this has been translated as the willow-wren, which is interpreted as the willow warbler, *Phylloscopus trochilus*. But the name of the bird in the book and title, "*Zaunkönig"* is indeed a wren.

There is another story going around, purported to be Celtic, of a wren sitting on an eagle's back during a flying competition on who got to be the king of birds. I've seen others of the same variation, including an African one, and I cannot find its earliest origin.

## References

1. ↑ https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Troglodytes\_(bird)&oldid=1128039874
2. ↑ http://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Perseus:text:1999.01.0026:card=550&highlight=
3. ↑ http://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/morph?l=o%2Frxilos&la=greek
4. ↑ https://lsj.gr/wiki/%E1%BD%80%CF%81%CF%87%CE%AF%CE%BB%CE%BF%CF%82
5. ↑ https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Cutty\_Wren&oldid=1127439028
6. ↑ https://etc.usf.edu/lit2go/175/grimms-fairy-tales/3064/the-willow-wren-and-the-bear/
7. ↑ https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zaunk%C3%B6nig