SongLark
Bird call
Cactus Wren (Campylorhynchus brunneicapillus) call
A harsh, low chuh-chuh-chuh-chuh, like a car that will not start.
Listen to the Cactus Wren call
A field recording of the Cactus Wren (Campylorhynchus brunneicapillus) by Cole Wolf, shared on iNaturalist. Listen for the Cactus Wren in desert and scrub habitats.
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Sounds similar
Birds that sound similar to the Cactus Wren
These birds belong to the wren family, like the Cactus Wren, so their calls can sound alike.
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Bewick's Wren Thryomanes bewickii
Buzzy introductory notes then a clear trill; a dry scolding rasp.
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Marsh Wren Cistothorus palustris
A mechanical rattling trill, like a sewing machine, deep in the reeds.
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Canyon Wren Catherpes mexicanus
A cascade of clear, sweet notes that slides down the scale and echoes off cliffs.
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Eurasian Wren Troglodytes troglodytes
A tiny bird with an explosive, rattling song of shrill notes and trills, astonishingly loud for its size.
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Pacific Wren Troglodytes pacificus
A tiny bird with a huge voice: a long, tumbling cascade of high, tinkling trills from the mossy forest floor.
Questions
Questions about the Cactus Wren
What does the Cactus Wren sound like?
A harsh, low chuh-chuh-chuh-chuh, like a car that will not start. Listen to the recording above.
Which birds sound like the Cactus Wren?
Bewick's Wren, Marsh Wren, Canyon Wren, Eurasian Wren and Pacific Wren sound similar.
Where can I hear the Cactus Wren?
SongLark teaches it in its Birds of California course.
How can I learn the Cactus Wren call?
In SongLark's Birds of California course, it comes in Level 10: The Deserts. SongLark teaches it by ear with real field recordings.
Courses
Learn this call in
SongLark teaches the Cactus Wren in its Birds of California course. Each course plays real field recordings and brings every bird back for review just before you would forget it.
- In Birds of California, the Cactus Wren comes in Level 10: The Deserts. That Level is about creosote flats, desert washes and the Colorado River.
Learn it with these birds in Level 10 of Birds of California
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Verdin Auriparus flaviceps
Sharp chip notes and a loud, clear tsee-tsee-tsee whistle from desert brush.
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Phainopepla Phainopepla nitens
A soft, liquid, rising wurp from the top of a mistletoe-laden shrub.
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Black-throated Sparrow Amphispiza bilineata
Two clear notes then a tinkling trill, from creosote and rocky desert slopes.
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Costa's Hummingbird Calypte costae
A thin, very high, rising-and-falling whistle, zing-zwiiing.
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Lucy's Warbler Leiothlypis luciae
A bright, quick trill that changes pitch partway through, from mesquite along desert rivers.
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Gila Woodpecker Melanerpes uropygialis
A rolling, nasal churr and a sharp, repeated pit-pit-pit.
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Ladder-backed Woodpecker Dryobates scalaris
A sharp pik and a descending, whinnying rattle.
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Common Raven Corvus corax
A deep, hoarse, croaking gronk, much lower than a crow, plus knocks and bell-like notes.
Get SongLark
Learn Cactus Wren in SongLark
Install SongLark, sign in, and choose a course that teaches the Cactus Wren.
- Your first course is free. When you first sign in, you choose one course to keep.
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