NORTHERN CACTUS WREN 229 



However, the young birds lose little time in starting to build indi- 

 vidual roosting places of their own, if the available supply is insuffi- 

 cient. A few resort to makeshift devices, one of them attempting, with 

 rather indifferent success, to use as a foundation an abandoned nest 

 of the hooded oriole among the leaves of a dracaena tree. Another, 

 also believed to be immature, was reported by A. H. Anderson (1934b) 

 at Tucson, Ariz., to have appropriated a verdin's nest, notwithstanding 

 its inadequate size. Some of these roosting nests, presumably built 

 by young birds, have little if any entrance tunnel, the entire interior 

 being clearly visible. Aside from the recently fledged broods, I have 

 never flushed more than one bird from a nest; on the other hand, in 

 coastal California, where the nests deteriorate rapidly, nearly every 

 habitable nest will contain an occupant after sunset, as indicated by the 

 tip of a tail projecting out into the entrance tunnel. 



Occasionally a cactus wren will drink from a birdbath, but in gen- 

 eral they seem to have little need or desire for water, other than the 

 moisture contained in the insects and cactus fruit of their ordinary 

 diet. Rarely, one of the wrens attempts a bath, but after many timid 

 approaches it usually succeeds only in wetting the feathers of the 

 breast. I have never seen them roll in the dust, after the manner of 

 some of the smaller wrens. 



Voice. — The voice of the cactus wren has rather a deep, throaty 

 quality, sometimes becoming almost a croak. The bird uses a great 

 diversity of notes, some of them grating or ratchetlike, varied with jay- 

 like squawks and occasional cries suggesting the plaintive demands 

 of young birds. While foraging, a softer clucking or croaking note 

 may be given at intervals, though the birds are often silent for long 

 periods while so engaged. 



Many of the ornithological handbooks refer to the cactus wren's 

 enthusiasm as a songster. Mrs. Irene G. Wheelock (1904), for exam- 

 ple, says : "He sings constantly as well as sweetly." Others speak of 

 the typical wrenlike quality of the song. Since this is decidedly at 

 variance with the present writer's observations in southern California, 

 there must be differences in the singing habits of the species in various 

 parts of its range. In Los Angeles County the cactus wren's song 

 is not often heard, and, while it may somewhat resemble in form the 

 songs of the smaller wrens, it can hardly be characterized as melodious. 

 In this locality a much more frequent expression, which perhaps also 

 partakes of the nature of a song, is the rapid repetition of a single 

 staccato note. The quality of this note varies, but never in the same 

 series. This type of call is usually delivered from the top of a tree, 

 a building, or a pole, sometimes antiphonally by a pair of birds on the 

 tops of different bushes'. The most tuneful utterance that I have ever 

 heard from these cactus wrens was a warbling song given by an imma- 



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