St Kilda wren

St Kilda wren
Illustration by Keulemans
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Aves
Order:	Passeriformes
Family:	Troglodytidae
Genus:	Troglodytes
Species:	T. troglodytes
Subspecies:	T. t. hirtensis
Trinomial name
Troglodytes troglodytes hirtensis Seebohm, 1884

The St Kilda wren (Troglodytes troglodytes hirtensis) is a small passerine bird in the wren family. It is a distinctive subspecies of the Eurasian wren endemic to the islands of the isolated St Kilda archipelago, in the Atlantic Ocean 64 km west of the Outer Hebrides, Scotland. Its Gaelic name is “Dreathan-donn” ("Dhra-in-doun"^[1]).^[2]

Description

The St Kilda wren is distinguished from the mainland form by its larger size and heavier barring, as well as its generally greyer and less rufous colouration. It differs from other Scottish island sub-species by its heavy barring, long and strong bill, and its greyer and paler plumage.^[3]

Status

The St Kilda wren is a fairly common breeding resident on St Kilda. The population was estimated at about 230 breeding pairs in 2002.^[4]

References

1. Dixon, Charles (1885). "The Ornithology of St. Kilda". Ibis 27 (1): 69–97. doi:10.1111/j.1474-919X.1885.tb06236.x.
2. The Western Isles: St Kilda Wren
3. McGowan, R.Y.; Clugston, D.L.; & Forrester, R.W. (2003). Scotland's endemic subspecies. Scottish Birds 24: 18-35.
4. St Kilda National Nature Reserve: Fauna