Demography and Populations

Age of First Breeding; Intervals Between Breeding

Breeds appears to first breed at 1 year of age and presumably annually thereafter (SLJ).

Clutch Size and Number of Clutches per Season

Mean clutch size is 5.1 eggs ± 0.7 SD (median 6, range 3–7, n = 103; Western Foundation of Vertebrate Zoology, Cornell Nest Record Cards). In Colorado, mean clutch size was 4.5 eggs ± 0.9 SD (range 2–6, n = 22) (3 Jones, S. L., J. S. Dieni, and A. C. Araya (2002). Reproductive biology of canyon wrens in the Front Range of Colorado. Wilson Journal of Ornithology 114(4):446–449. Close ).

Annual Reproductive Success and Lifetime Reproductive Success

Information needed. In one study, nests produced a mean of 2.9 fledglings (range 2–6, n = 22) (3 Jones, S. L., J. S. Dieni, and A. C. Araya (2002). Reproductive biology of canyon wrens in the Front Range of Colorado. Wilson Journal of Ornithology 114(4):446–449. Close ).

Number of Broods Normally Reared per Season

Out of 28 pairs studied in Colorado, 8 pairs (29%) had second broods in the same breeding season, and 1 pair successfully fledged a third brood (3 Jones, S. L., J. S. Dieni, and A. C. Araya (2002). Reproductive biology of canyon wrens in the Front Range of Colorado. Wilson Journal of Ornithology 114(4):446–449. Close ).

The only reported recapture of a previously banded individual was that of a female banded as an adult in Arizona and subsequently recaptured at a minimum age of 4 yr 10 mo (89 Bird Banding Laboratory (2019). Longevity records of North American birds. Version 2019.2. Patuxent Wildlife Research Center, U.S. Geological Survey, Laurel, MD, USA. Close ).

Information needed on survivorship.

Information needed.

Information needed.

Individual Distance

In some canyons in the Front Range of Colorado, territories are evenly spaced approximately 0.6 km apart throughout suitable habitat (3 Jones, S. L., J. S. Dieni, and A. C. Araya (2002). Reproductive biology of canyon wrens in the Front Range of Colorado. Wilson Journal of Ornithology 114(4):446–449. Close ). In a canyon along the South Platte River, 11 breeding territories were found in 3.2 km (SLJ, JSD). At Red Rocks Mountain Park in the Front Range, territory density was 4.5 per 100 ha (3 Jones, S. L., J. S. Dieni, and A. C. Araya (2002). Reproductive biology of canyon wrens in the Front Range of Colorado. Wilson Journal of Ornithology 114(4):446–449. Close ). In northern Colorado, mean nearest-neighbor distance between breeding territory centers was 986 m ± 638 SD (range 360–2,152, n = 6) (69 Warning, N., and L. Benedict (2015). Overlapping home ranges and microhabitat partitioning among Canyon Wrens (Catherpes mexicanus) and Rock Wrens (Salpinctes obsoletus). Wilson Journal of Ornithology 127:395–401. Close ).

Territory Size

At Red Rocks Mountain Park, breeding territories were 1.3 ha ± 0.6 SD (range 0.4–2.8, n = 28), and winter territories were 1.0 ha ± 0.4 SD (range 0.2–1.9) (3 Jones, S. L., J. S. Dieni, and A. C. Araya (2002). Reproductive biology of canyon wrens in the Front Range of Colorado. Wilson Journal of Ornithology 114(4):446–449. Close ). See also Territorial Behavior.

Home Range Size

In northern Colorado, the average 95% fixed-kernel home ranges of pairs was 5.6 ha ± 2.0 SD (range 2.5–9.1, n = 13), with 50% fixed-kernel core areas 0.65 ha ± 0.41 SD (range 0.26–1.6, n = 13) (69 Warning, N., and L. Benedict (2015). Overlapping home ranges and microhabitat partitioning among Canyon Wrens (Catherpes mexicanus) and Rock Wrens (Salpinctes obsoletus). Wilson Journal of Ornithology 127:395–401. Close ). Adjacent home ranges did not overlap (n = 6) (69 Warning, N., and L. Benedict (2015). Overlapping home ranges and microhabitat partitioning among Canyon Wrens (Catherpes mexicanus) and Rock Wrens (Salpinctes obsoletus). Wilson Journal of Ornithology 127:395–401. Close ).

Numbers

In 2020, Partners in Flight (90 Partners in Flight (2020). Population Estimates Database, version 3.1. Close ) estimated the global population at 1,000,000 individuals, with 58% of the species' population in Mexico, 38% in the United States, and < 1% in Canada. Using data from the North American Breeding Bird Survey (BBS), the Canyon Wren mean annual population was estimated at 420,000 individuals (95% CI: 330,000–550,000) in the United States for 2006–2015 (90 Partners in Flight (2020). Population Estimates Database, version 3.1. Close ). Populations within Bird Conservation Regions were estimated at 74,000 individuals (95% CI: 37,000–130,000) in the Southern Rockies/Colorado Plateau, 68,000 birds (95% CI: 38,000–110,000) in the Great Basin, and 64,000 individuals (95% CI: 22,000–130,000) in the Chihuahuan Desert (90 Partners in Flight (2020). Population Estimates Database, version 3.1. Close ). Within the United States, highest estimated populations were: Arizona, 86,000 (95% CI: 46,000–140,000); Texas, 65,000 (95% CI: 29,000–120,000); and California, 59,000 (95% CI: 30,000–95,000) (90 Partners in Flight (2020). Population Estimates Database, version 3.1. Close ).

Models based on eBird data indicate that mean relative abundance is highly variable across the species' range, but greatest in Mexico (e.g., Chihuahua, Sonora, Coahuila); within the United States, relative abundance is highest in Arizona and Texas. Highest counts on specific BBS routes in the United States 1996: 5.0 individuals (Garfield County, south-central Utah), 3.4 (Edwards County, southwestern Texas), and 3.0 (Santa Cruz County, Arizona) (91 Price, J., S. Droege, and A. Price (1995). The Summer Atlas of North American Birds. Academic Press, New York, NY, USA. Close ). Abundance is low across the northern part of the species' range, with many areas of appropriate habitat unoccupied (5 Warning, N., N. Covy, A. Rose, X. M. Phan, and L. Benedict (2015). Canyon wren territory occupancy and site attributes in northern Colorado. American Midland Naturalist 174:150–160. Close ).

Trends

BBS data are of limited value because the habitat of this species is inadequately surveyed and it has low abundance on surveys. From 1968–2019, the overall population in the United States declined 0.2% per year, although the 95% confidence interval (–1.5, 0.6) included zero, indicating that it was not statistically significant (n = 367 survey routes; 92 Sauer, J. R., W. A. Link, and J. E. Hines (2020). The North American Breeding Bird Survey, Analysis Results 1966–2019. U.S. Geological Survey data release. Close ).

Information needed.