Cactus Wren

On February 25, 2025 I was in Organ Pipe Cactus NM in southern Arizona with my son, Sam. We were at the small oasis outside the visitor center, the first time I was aware that the visitor center had one (I've been to Organ Pipe many times over the years). I sat on a bench nearby the two small warm springs and sat for several hours. One of the marvelous sightings was a pair of cactus wrens. In all the times I've visited Organ Pipe, this is the first time I've seen cactus wrens. There are seven generally recognized subspecies. Ssp. couesi is found in the southern U.S. in California, Nevada, Utah, Arizona, New Mexico and Texas, as well as Sonora and Chihuahua, Mexico. It is larger than the nominate ssp. and has paler underparts. It is sometimes known as ssp. anthonyi. It is the state bird of Arizona and the largest wren in the U.S. It has brown plumage with black and white spots. The underparts are cinnamon-buff and the tail and flight feathers are barred in black and white. We also saw one in the Cabeza Prieta NWR, standing on a tall saguaro. I was driving and Sam got a photo. 

Illustration of ssp. bryanti from Birds of the World. 

Range from Birds of the World.