cross-posted from: https://lemmygrad.ml/post/4276201

The wrentit (Chamaea fasciata) is a small bird that lives in chaparral, oak woodlands, and bushland on the western coast of North America. It is the only species in the genus Chamaea. The Wrentit is a year-round resident in coastal scrub and chaparral along the West Coast. Away from the coast it lives in dense shrublands with coyotebush, manzanita, California lilac, and blackberry thickets in foothills and desert regions of California. In northwestern California and northwestern Oregon, the Wrentit breeds in oak woodlands and mixed hardwood and evergreen forests. Wrentits sometimes make suburban yards and parks their home especially if they find plenty of dense shrubbery to hide in. Wrentits tend to avoid areas with non-native plants such as eucalyptus and broom. This bird feeds heavily on insects, especially in spring and summer, including ants, small wasps, caterpillars, beetles, scale insects, leafhoppers, and others, plus spiders. They eat many berries, especially in fall and winter, including those of poison oak. Wrentits sing a distinctive song reminiscent of a ball bouncing that lasts for about 4 seconds. In males this starts out as 3 to 5 pits followed by an accelerating trill; the ball bounces away. Females also sing but they catch the ball and sing only 3 to 14 pits without the accelerating trill. Both sexes sing at all hours of the day, all year long, although they are more vocal within the first hour after sunrise and early in the breeding season. Wrentits give a churring call which sounds similar to someone rolling their r’s. Wrentits give louder more emphatic calls when scolding a predator or intruder. Here is a link so you can hear this bird too.