The appearance and status of the St Kilda Wren

摘要

This short paper summarises all known data on the population size and trends of the St Kilda Wren Troglodytes troglodytes hirtensis, now included as a taxon monitored by the Rare Breeding Birds Panel. The appearance of this distinctive subspecies of Wren is discussed briefly and illustrated. The St Kilda Wren Troglodytes troglodytes hirtensis occurs only on the archipelago after which it is named, which lies approximately 70 km west of Harris, in the Outer Hebrides, and comprises four main islands: Hirta, Dun, Soay and Boreray. The St Kilda Wren has the most distinctive appearance of all the subspecies of Wren in Britain, being on average bigger-bodied, longer-billed and with paler plumage than the Fair Isle Wren T. t. fridariensis, Shetland Wren T. t. zetlandicus, Hebridean Wren T. t. hebridensis, and UK mainland Wrens, T. t. indigenus and T. t. troglodytes.