-Native to the deserts of the southwestern United States and northern and central Mexico
-State bird of Arizona
-Active all day, foraging in open areas and on the ground ... known for singing from tall shrubs and hopping around on the ground ... also known for being active predators of nest predators
-Large, chunky birds with long, heavy bills, long, rounded tails, and short, rounded wings
-7 to 9 inches long, with brown plumage and black and white spots
-Cactus wrens adapt to their hot habitat by changing their foraging behavior based on the temperature ... in the morning, they forage on the ground and in the branches of shrubs ... as the temperature increases, they move to shady, cooler areas to forage
-Eat a variety of foods, including ants, beetles, grasshoppers, wasps, fruits, seeds, small frogs, lizards, the fruits of various cacti, elderberry, hackberry, and cascara buckthorn
-Cactus wrens live in pairs or family groups from late spring through winter ... they don't migrate, instead establishing and defending territories around their nests all year