Name: Cobb’s Wren, Rock Wren (Troglodytes cobbi)
Length: 13 cm.
Location: Falkland Islands.
Conservation status: Vulnerable.
Diet: Small insects and amphipods.
Appearance: Brown, with a lighter brown head and breast. Dark dappled lines on the wingtips and tail feathers. Long and curved blackish bill.
How do Cobb’s Wrens feed?
Cobb’s Wrens can be seen hopping around tussock grasses and beached kelp pecking at small invertebrates.
Are Cobb’s Wrens social?
Cobb’s Wrens are generally fairly tame and can be approached to a close distance.
What are Cobb’s Wren birthing rituals like?
The Cobb’s Wren breeding season occurs between October and December. They build nests on the ground or in sheltered crevices in rocks. The nests are a ball shape that is lined with tussock grass roots and feathers. 3 or 4 pinkish eggs are laid. 2 broods are often raised during the breeding season.
How long do Cobb’s Wrens live?
Cobb’s Wrens live for about 6 years.
How many Cobb’s Wrens are there today?
There are only an estimated 4,500 to 8,000 breeding pairs of Cobb’s Wrens in the world, found only in the Falklands region.
Do Cobb’s Wrens have any natural predators?
Cobb's Wrens stick to the outer islands of the Falklands that have yet to be introduced to rats and cats.
4 Wonderful Cobb’s Wren Facts
- Cobb’s Wrens are named after the author Arthur Cobb who shot one using rice as his ammunition.
- When startled Cobb’s Wrens are more likely to hide among grasses or rocks rather than try to fly away.
- The only other Falkland Island endemic bird species is the Flightless Steamer Duck.
- Because Cobb’s Wrens have such a small population in a small region they are prone to inbreeding. One of the results of this inbreeding is the occasional individual with partial albinism.