Michael Warren: Cactus Wren

Artist: Michael Warren
1938 -
Nationality: British
Artwork Year: 1986
Image Size: 14 by 12 inches
Overall Size: 15.75 by 14 inches
Medium: Water Color on Water Color Paper

The Cactus Wren is the largest wren in the U.S. Both sexes have a dull, rusty crown, streaked back, heavily spotted breast, tawny-colored sides and belly; wing and tail feathers are barred black and white and show a white tail band in flight. There is also a conspicuous broad white stripe over each eye.

Their range is southern Claifornia, southern Nevada, southwest Utah, central New Mexico, and central and southern Texas to central Mexico. They reside year-round in southern, western, and central Arizona in deserts with thorny vegetation. They prefer areas with taller cacti (especially cholla), or arid hillsides and valleys with other thorny plants capable of supporting their bulky nests.

The female selects the nest site; the nest is often placed in cholla, but also in other cacti and thorny trees and shrubs such as mesquite, ironwood, paloverde, and catclaw acacia. Both the male and female build the nest, which is a large, conspicuous, spherical structure usually built with dry grasses and annual plants; strips of discarded paper and cloth are frequently woven in. A long, narrow-sided passage into an internal chamber, as well as the thorny substrate, protects this nest from most predators, although eggs and nestlings are frequently taken by coachwhips and whipsnakes. As with most wren nests, the nest chamber is usually lined with feathers.

The Cactus Wren's diet includes ants, beetles, grasshoppers, wasps, fruits, seeds, and an occasional treefrog or lizard.

This artwork was originally published on a Fleetwood® First Day Cover for the Birds of America Collection. Each Cover featured a State Wildlife Conservation Stamp designed by Michael Warren, issued by the National Audubon Society and postmarked on the First Day of Issue of each stamp which was also the anniversary of statehood for each state.

Artwork Copyright © 1986 Unicover Corporation. All Rights Reserved under United States and international copyright laws. You may not reproduce, distribute, transmit, or otherwise exploit the Artwork in any way. Images of the Artwork may be watermarked and/or digitally watermarked. Any sale of the physical original does not include or convey the Copyright or any right comprised in the copyright.

Our Stock Number (SKU): XB10371

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