The wren is not Britians smallest birds, but it is one of the smallest, Firecrest and Goldcrest are both smaller.   But when everyone thinks of small birds they think of the wren which is just 9 to 10cm long and weighs a mere 10g. The Firecrest and the Goldcrest are both about one centimetre shorter than the wren and weight just 6g.

Wrens are found across Europe and North America and there about 69 different wren species in North America.  The American call the species found in Britain the "winter wren", and its correct name is the "Eurasian Wren" it is thought the winter wren and the Eurasian Wren are different species.  In Britain the vast majority of people simply call it the Wren, or by its slang title Jenny Wren.   We do however have several sub species of wren that are found in different geographic areas such as St. Kilda Wren, Fair Isle Wren, and the Shetland Wren.