Wren | Troglodytes troglodytes | Dreolín
The wren was known as the ‘king of all birds’. This is how he won the title!
“The challenge was that the bird who could fly the highest in the air was to be recognised as King. The others agreed. All got ready & just as the eagle started off the wren perched on its tail unkonwn to the eagle. The eagle flew upwards & upwards until it could go no further. By this time the other birds were far below the eagle & so exhausted that they could go no further. When the eagle saw the others so far below he cried out in truimph that he had won & that he was King. Just then the wren started her short flight above the eagle & to the eagle's astonishment he heard the wren answer that it was he and not the eagle who was King. The eagle was beaten & humbly acknowleged the wren's supremacy & from that day to this the wren is King of all birds”
Collected from John Sweeney, Dunkitt, Co. Kilkenny
(opens in a new window)The Schools’ Collection, Volume 0845, Page 249
More likely to be seen than heard, Wrens move quickly in and out of bushes and vegetation, often close to the ground. They sing frequently and loudly, and are common on UCD campus. You can probably hear one singing almost anywhere around UCD where there are shrubs or trees.
The Wren's song is a loud, long, string of repeated fast chips, trills, and whistles. Listen for the distinctive "buzz" somewhere in the song.
Photo: Billy Clarke