 Breeding evidence |
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Click on plot to view table of mean abundance
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Number of squares
Long-term BBS trends
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Mean abundance (number of birds detected per 5 min. point count) and percentage of squares occupied by region Bird Conservation Regions [abund. plot]
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Atlas Results
Rock Wrens were found primarily in the arid southwest, especially in the coulees, creeks, and badlands associated with the South Saskatchewan River (to Lake Diefenbaker) and the Frenchman River drainages. Breeding was confirmed in two locations, both at human engineered sites at the Claybank Brick Plant Historic Site and in an old barn foundation at Nicolle Flats. An out of range bird, presumed to be non-breeding, was observed foraging along a road in a cut block near Candle Lake on 15 June 2020.
Excerpts Adapted from the Birds of Saskatchewan:
The Rock Wren may have a somewhat wider range in Saskatchewan than field guides suggest. Its heartland is the dry southwest, where in summer its loud, mockingbird-like song cascades from cliffs and bare hilltops. However, this species has a proclivity to wander beyond its normal range from April to October, with sightings as far north as Kazan Lake and Heritage Lake in the southern boreal forest. Rock Wrens occur from southwestern Canada south through the western US and Mexico to Honduras, and over most of their range they do not migrate.
In Saskatchewan, the natural nesting habitat of the Rock Wren includes earthen cliff faces and bedrock outcroppings. It also adapts readily to artificial environments and has been noted in gravel pits near Maple Creek, Claybank, Bradwell, Condie, and Pilot Butte; riprap at Gardiner and Qu'Appelle Valley dams; and coal spoil piles at Estevan.
Here at their northeastern limits on the northern Great Plains, they are summer residents, locally common in suitable habitat north to the South Saskatchewan River (northeast to Gardiner Dam), along the western Qu'Appelle Valley, and in isolated badlands in the southeast. Though nowhere abundant, their numbers are perhaps increasing slightly due to the excavation of gravel pits.
Original text by Mark Abley. Text adapted by Daniel J. Sawatzky
Read more about the Rock Wren in the Birds of Saskatchewan here.
Recommended citation: Latremouille, L. M. 2025. Rock Wren in Latremouille, L. M., S. L. Van Wilgenburg, C. B. Jardine, D. Lepage, A. R. Couturier, D. Evans, D. Iles, and K. L. Drake (eds.). 2025. The Atlas of the Breeding Birds of Saskatchewan, 2017-2021. Birds Canada. Saskatoon, Saskatchewan https://sk.birdatlas.ca/accounts/speciesaccount.jsp?sp=ROWR&lang=en [09 Nov 2025]
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