This little watercolour study is a favourite painting of a favourite species. Although it ranges from southwestern Washington State south through western Oregon and much of California deep into Baja California, most of the Wrentit’s range is in the chapparal thickets and adjoining woodlands of California.  I have kept the painting hanging in my gallery as it evokes fond memories of my many visits to California, but it is now time to find it a home. I think the appeal of the species is in part due to the warm, rich colours and softness of its plumage; in part due to the distinctive song and active behaviour; but also because it is, taxonomically, enigmatic. It has been difficult to determine what bird families it is most closely related to, there being nothing like it in the Americas. It is certainly not very closely related to either wrens or tits (chickadees). Most recent research puts it in the parrotbill family, Paradoxornithade, a large family of birds confined to eastern and southeastern Asia, but for this one species, however, ambiguity persists. Oddly enough for such small birds, they mate for life, forming pair bonds at a young age. More often heard than seen, the call is a clear note repeated in an accelerated tempo that has been compared to the sound of a ping pong ball dropping on the floor, the male’s rhythm distinctly faster than the female’s. Both share in nest-building, territorial defence, egg incubation and care for the young. It’s a delightful bird in every way, and I think this little painting would make a great gift for any birder who, like me, loves roaming the chapparal studded hillsides of the western U.S.