KLUIJVER HN, LIGHTVOET, J, OUWELANT, C VAN DEN & ZEGWAARD, F (1940) The life history of the wren Troglodytes tr. troglodytes (L.). LIMOSA 13 (1): 1-51.

The life history of the wren Troglodytes tr. troglodytes (L.) was studied from 1936-1939 at Stein in a garden of 7 hectares, being a very suitable wren habitat. Every breeding season 8-12 males hold territory in this garden .The birds were trapped in their nests and marked with coloured bands. Of the well know song of the male wren we discerned 5 variants: a. Complete song consisting of an introduction of clear whistling sounds, followed by a strong roller and closed by some whistling sounds. This is the normal advertising song. b. Interrupted strophe. The roller is interrupted half a way, and often the bird immediately starts for a new strophe. One can often hear the interrupted strophe when two males are quarreling at the borders of their territories. c. If the male in spring discovers a female in his territory he also immediately commutes his complete strophe into an interrupted one and utters his excitement by a lower elocution. d. If the female gets nearer to the male and returns his display, his song is getting lower and lower and often even the first patt is not completed. Again and again he starts for a new strophe. e. In composed song the roller is repeated two, three or even more times. The song of a male attracts females and repels other males. Ticcing of the wren seems to be an expression of nervousness. Females and males react upon it in the same way as upon song, but much feebler. The female never sings and seldom tics. When displaying the male sings and spreads his wings and tail and sometimes pounces upon the female. The Jemale returns his display with the same spreading of wings and tail and a short call, that indicates willingness for copulation. ' In March the male starts building some cocknests and calls the females to them by means of song and display. He shows the female his nest by creeping in and out and by singing before the entrance (Plate 2). The female chooses one of the cocknests and lines it with feathers and wool. It seldom occurs, that the male helps in lining the broodnest. When the female starts incubating the male continues displaying and nestbuilding. Rainfall stimulates the building activity of the male. He visits his cocknests Jor the whole breedingseason and defends them against intruders. He often succeeds in attracting a second and sometimes even a third female as his first female incubates the eggs or feeds the young. The male is little troubled for the brood: he never broods, does not defend the broodnest and has no contact with his female by means of special call notes. Many males do not feed the young in the nest. In Apriland May asa rule incubation starts on the day the last egg is laid or a day later; in June and Jllly often a few days earlier. The incubation period lasts 14-20 days, being shorter in July than in ApriL In this month the female leaves the eggs more often, probably because she needs more time for collecting her food. The fledging-period of the young lasts 15-20 days. Male and female both accompany the fledged young for 7-18 days. Some males do not feed them, but they incessantly express their care by ticcing. The fledged young roost together in cocknests or at other sheltered places. At eventide the male attracts his young by means of song or ticcing to one of his nests. It very seldom occurs, that also the female takes an active part in this performance. Nearly for the whole year, but most intensively in spring, the male, by means of song and posturing, defends a territory against other males. It is only not agressive against those males, that guide their fledged young. Young males take a territory in their first autumn or in the next spring. As constrasted with the behaviour of many other Passeres, the male defends his territory for the whole breeding season. This may have connection with the polygamous behaviour of the male. In severe winter and possibly in August the males do not defend their territories against rivals. In cold nights many males and females roost together in old cocknests. The males hold the same territories from one year to another. The surface of a male's territory was 0,3-1,2 hectares. The female has no connection with the male's territory and often changes her breeding place (and consequently her partner) even from first to second brood in the same breeding season. Polygamy is an instinctive feature in the behaviour of the wren. In the garden at Stein almost 50 % of the males came to polygamy and it occurred three times that a male had three females at the same time. Every year some unpaired males were living in the close neighbourhood of the polygamous males. Probably it was especially the quality of the cocknests, built by the different males, that influenced the choice of the females. Polygamy has also been stated in two American Troglodytidae, viz. Telmatodytes palustris and Troglodytes aedon. The male wren is a nestbuilding specialist: he constructs a domed nest and makes many of them. This specialisation is combined with a poor development of brooding instincts. This may have given rise to the polygamous habit. The female is able to take the care of the brood without the help of her mate by means of the good shelter furnished by the domed nest. Winter Wren Troglodytes troglodytes

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