Odontorchilus
Salpinctes
Microcerculus
Campylorhynchus
Catherpes
Hylorchilus
Thryomanes
Thryothorus
Cinnycerthia
Cantorchilus
Thryophilus
Pheugopedius
Cyphorhinus
Uropsila
Thryorchilus
Henicorhina
Troglodytes
Cistothorus
Ferminia
The wrens are passerine birds in the mainly New World family Troglodytidae. There are about 80 species of true wrens in about 20 genera, though the name is also ascribed to other unrelated birds throughout the world.
Troglodyte means "cave-dweller," and the wrens get their scientific name from the tendency of some species to forage in dark crevices. They are mainly small and inconspicuous except for their loud songs. These birds have short wings and a thin down-turned bill. Several species often hold their tails upright. All are insectivorous.
They range in size from the White-bellied Wren (Uropsila leucogastra), which averages under 10 cm (4 inches) and 9 grams, to the Giant Wren (Campylorhynchus chiapensis), which averages at about 22 cm (8.7 inches) and 50 grams (1.8 oz).
Only one species occurs in the Old World, where it is commonly known simply as the "Wren."; it is called Winter Wren in North America.
The 27 Australasian "wren" species in the family Maluridae are unrelated, as are the New Zealand wrens in the family Acanthisittidae.
Revised following Martínez Gómez et al. (2005) and Mann et al. (2006). The Black-capped Donacobius is an enigmatic species traditionally placed with the wrens more for lack of a more apparent alternative and/or thorough study. It was more recently determined to be most likely closer to certain "warblers", possibly the newly-established Megaluridae, and might constitute a monotypic family (Alström et al. 2006).