Family: Troglodytidae, Wrens view all from this family

Description 5-6 1/2" (13-17 cm). A sparrow-sized wren, pale grayish brown with a finely streaked breast. Outer tail feathers have whitish or pale buff tips.

Habitat Rock-strewn slopes, canyons, cliffs, and dams in arid country.

Nesting 4-6 white eggs, lightly speckled with pale brown, in a shallow nest of plant fibers and roots, lined with feathers and placed in a crevice among rocks or in a hollow stump.

Range Breeds from interior British Columbia, Saskatchewan, and North Dakota southward in mountains. Winters north to California and Texas.

Voice   A dry trill; a rhythmic series of musical notes; chewee, chewee, chewee, chewee.

Discussion This species is found in much the same habitat as its relative the Canyon Wren but is more partial to rocky slopes, while the Canyon Wren favors sheer cliffs. The Rock Wren has the unusual habit of laying down a path of small pebbles in front of its nest; this little "pavement" often simplifies an observer's effort to locate nests.