General Description: Canyon Wrens (Catherpes mexicanus) are tiny red birds with a white breast, gray head, and a very long bill. There are tiny white spots on the back and wings, and the red tail is barred. True to the name, these are birds of rocky canyons where they hunt by reaching into the back of deep, narrow cracks for bugs.

Taxonomy: Passeriformes, Troglodytidae.

Favored Habitat: Desert and mountain canyons.

Where to Find: Canyon Wrens are widespread and fairly common in mountainous rocky canyons around Las Vegas. Look for them at Red Rock Canyon NCA (e.g., Icebox Canyon, Pine Creek Canyon, Oak Creek Canyon; occasionally Willow Springs), Lake Mead National Recreation Area (e.g., Goldstrike Canyon and Boy Scout Canyon), Mt. Charleston (Fletcher Canyon), and Zion National Park (e.g., Riverside Trail).

Comments: Usually heard long before seen, listen for the long, descending series of notes: peeer, peeer, peeer, peeer, peeer, peeer. The first is high and long, and the last is low and short, and the remainder grade slowly from one to the other.