Discover the Official State Bird of Arizona

Arizona was the last of the contiguous states to be added to the country, achieving statehood as the 48th state in 1912. It’s nicknamed the Grand Canyon state after one of its most popular tourist attractions. Despite being the 6th-largest state in the United States, it’s only the 14th-most populous. This may have something to do with the intense heat that occurs during the summer. In 1994, the state reached 128 degrees in Lake Havasu City. Not only was this the hottest temperature ever recorded in the state, it was the second-hottest for the entire nation.

The state is home to the largest Native American reservation, the Navajo reservation, which spans across Arizona, New Mexico, and Utah. Nearly half of the population of the reservation lives in Arizona. The rest of the state’s population is incredibly diverse as well. The state has seen a large influx of Mexican residents who migrated from the nearby country. About one-fifth of the population speak only Spanish at home.

The state flower is the saguaro cactus flower and the state tree is the palo verde. Along with its other nickname, Arizona is also called “The Copper State” because of the large amount of copper that’s been found there. This article will cover Arizona’s state bird, where it lives, and other fun facts about the species.

The official Arizona state bird is the cactus wren.

Identifying the Cactus Wren

Cactus wrens are small birds that are around 7 to 8 inches in length and weigh between 1.1 and 1.7 ounces. They are between the size of a sparrow and a robin, and just a bit smaller than a northern mockingbird.

For wrens, they are large and chunky, with strong markings including a white eye stripe behind each eye that extends to their upper back. Their throat and breasts are speckled with brown and black dots. Their sides are a cinnamon color and their chests are white.

Overall, they appear to be mainly brown with various white and black patterns across their bodies. They have a long bill and short, rounded wings. They are the largest wren species in the United States.

Cactus Wren Habitat

Cactus wrens live in the southwestern portion of the United States as well as Mexico. They are most populous in Arizona, Texas, California, Nevada, and Utah. They prefer dry, scrubby, desert areas like the Chihuahuan, Mojave, and Sonoran Deserts. Cactus wrens live in prickly-pear cacti, cholla, and other thorny shrubs. The scrubs offer a bit of protection for them and their young. They use the thorny plant to nest and roost throughout the year.

Diet and Prey

Because the cactus wren is native to a desert environment, it has adapted to meet its water needs from diet alone. That means that this bird gets everything it needs from the prey it eats. Most of the time, cactus wren munch on insects, making them insectivores. They will also consume small reptiles, and plant matter like seeds, fruit, and nectar. 

Cactus wrens begin feeding in the late morning. They mainly forage on the desert ground and will move to shadier areas once the desert begins to get hot. When it’s really hot, they will also forage in the plants. Eating cactus fruit is important for the cactus wren to get its water content. They also drink nectar, specifically from saguaro cactus blossoms. Doing so makes them a type of pollinator, which is usually harder to find in desert environments.

Predators and Challenges

Adult cactus wrens face a few predators that are looking to eat them. They are most commonly preyed upon by other bird species including eagles, hawks, and roadrunners, as well as coyotes, cats, and foxes. Because they are such small creatures, cactus wrens don’t have the best defensive techniques. When they notice predators, they will usually become very vocal in an attempt to scare them away. They also will chase predator animals that are on the ground. Their young are also at risk of being preyed upon, but by a different species — the coachwhip snake. While most other animals won’t dare into the nests built inside cacti, coachwhip snakes seem to have no issue with getting into them.

Cactus wrens are also at risk of having their nests destroyed by other bird species. The curve-billed thrasher is the main species that the cactus wrens have conflict with. This is because curve-billed thrashers also live in the Arizona deserts in nearby areas and favor the same plants for nesting in. Both the cactus wren and curve-billed thrasher build their nests in the jumping cholla plant.

Most fights between the species occur over nesting ground. Both birds have been spotted actively trying to destroy one another’s nests. It should be noted that the roosting nests are typically the kind that they try to destroy, and often leave breeding nests alone. For this reason, the birds are able to raise young in close proximity to one another. On average, their nests are around 100 feet apart. However, on one unique occasion, observers noted that the nests were a mere 6 inches apart and remained intact through the entire season without any attempts at destruction. 

Parasite Problems

Another challenge to the cactus wren is parasites. They are commonly affected by Avifilaris, a parasitic worm that is spread by biting insects. They are also targeted by Neoschoengastia americana, also known as the turkey chigger. Luckily, neither of these parasites is usually fatal unless in large quantities. 

Lifespan

Cactus wrens have a lifespan of over five years, however, many don’t survive for that long. The average lifespan for male cactus wrens is two years, and only 1.3 years for females. Many fledglings never have the chance to reach adulthood due to their largest threat — starvation. Because they don’t have experience foraging and require a diet of around 15 grasshopper-sized bugs per day, they often are unable to meet caloric needs. Fledglings can also get left outside of the roosts by adult birds. If this happens, their chance of being preyed upon increases exponentially.

Conservation Status

Cactus wrens are declining in population at an approximation of 1.3% per year. From 1966 to 2019, the population has declined by around 51% according to the North American Breeding Bird Survey. Despite this, their conservation status is still listed as of least concern.

A big reason that the species is declining is due to habitat loss. Specifically in the southern region of California, the cactus wren species is declining due to the loss of cactus scrub habitat. Most of the cactus wrens that live there make their homes in San Diego Safari Park because it has the most cactus scrub in Southern California. In other nearby states like Arizona, the cactus wren population is declining, but not nearly as fast. However, cactus wren populations in Nevada and New Mexico are actually increasing.

Another factor that is causing the cactus wren population to decrease is the frequent wildfires that occur in the southwestern United States. Even after the fires have died out, the pockets that they burned through are no longer suitable for sustaining many animal populations. 

On top of habitat destruction by fire or human intervention, another reason that cactus wren populations are declining is that they won’t travel far from their parents’ territory. This means that once they leave the nest, they will usually move to an area very close by. By not dispersing, they aren’t able to continue spreading as easily. They also may end up facing the same problems as their parents did, specifically in terms of habitat loss.

The photo featured at the top of this post is © Susan Hodgson/Shutterstock.com