Grass Wren
Cistothorus platensis (Latham, 1790)
- Kingdom
- Animalia
- Phylum
- Chordata
- Class
- Aves
- Order
- Passeriformes
- Family
- Troglodytidae
- Genus
- Cistothorus
Conservation status
Species of concern in Ohio (Ohio Division of Wildlife, June 2026)
Ohio's Division of Wildlife names it as one that might become threatened in Ohio under continued or increased stress, or one it has some concern for but too little information to judge. It is not listed as endangered or threatened.
Species of concern in Ohio (as Cistothorus stellaris) (Ohio Division of Wildlife, June 2026)
Ohio's Division of Wildlife names it as one that might become threatened in Ohio under continued or increased stress, or one it has some concern for but too little information to judge. It is not listed as endangered or threatened.
Range
Where it is recorded
Not enough evidence yet
Recorded in 17 of Ohio's 88 counties, with too few records in each for a result. Its published mapped range covers 87 of Ohio's 88 counties.
- No result yet (1)
- Within its mapped range (70)
- Recorded, too few records for a result (17)
- Recorded, season not shown (0)
- Season shown (0)
Counties as a table
| County | Records | In mapped range |
|---|---|---|
| Adams County | No qualifying records yet | Yes: migration |
| Allen County | Recorded, too few records for a result | Yes: summer, migration |
| Ashland County | No qualifying records yet | Yes: migration |
| Ashtabula County | No qualifying records yet | Yes: summer |
| Athens County | No qualifying records yet | Yes: migration |
| Auglaize County | No qualifying records yet | Yes: summer |
| Belmont County | No qualifying records yet | Yes: migration |
| Brown County | No qualifying records yet | Yes: migration |
| Butler County | No qualifying records yet | Yes: migration |
| Carroll County | No qualifying records yet | Yes: migration |
| Champaign County | No qualifying records yet | Yes: migration |
| Clark County | No qualifying records yet | Yes: migration |
| Clermont County | No qualifying records yet | Yes: migration |
| Clinton County | No qualifying records yet | Yes: migration |
| Columbiana County | No qualifying records yet | Yes: migration |
| Coshocton County | No qualifying records yet | Yes: migration |
| Crawford County | No qualifying records yet | Yes: migration |
| Cuyahoga County | No qualifying records yet | Yes: summer |
| Darke County | Recorded, too few records for a result | Yes: summer, migration |
| Defiance County | No qualifying records yet | Yes: summer |
| Delaware County | No qualifying records yet | Yes: migration |
| Erie County | Recorded, too few records for a result | Yes: summer |
| Fairfield County | No qualifying records yet | Yes: migration |
| Fayette County | No qualifying records yet | Yes: migration |
| Franklin County | Recorded, too few records for a result | Yes: migration |
| Fulton County | No qualifying records yet | Yes: summer |
| Gallia County | No qualifying records yet | Yes: migration |
| Geauga County | No qualifying records yet | Yes: summer |
| Greene County | Recorded, too few records for a result | Yes: migration |
| Guernsey County | No qualifying records yet | Yes: migration |
| Hamilton County | Recorded, too few records for a result | Yes: migration |
| Hancock County | Recorded, too few records for a result | Yes: summer, migration |
| Hardin County | No qualifying records yet | Yes: migration |
| Harrison County | No qualifying records yet | Yes: migration |
| Henry County | No qualifying records yet | Yes: summer |
| Highland County | No qualifying records yet | Yes: migration |
| Hocking County | No qualifying records yet | Yes: migration |
| Holmes County | No qualifying records yet | Yes: migration |
| Huron County | No qualifying records yet | Yes: summer, migration |
| Jackson County | No qualifying records yet | Yes: migration |
| Jefferson County | No qualifying records yet | Yes: migration |
| Knox County | No qualifying records yet | Yes: migration |
| Lake County | Recorded, too few records for a result | Yes: summer |
| Lawrence County | No qualifying records yet | Yes: migration |
| Licking County | No qualifying records yet | Yes: migration |
| Logan County | No qualifying records yet | Yes: migration |
| Lorain County | Recorded, too few records for a result | Yes: summer, migration |
| Lucas County | Recorded, too few records for a result | Yes: summer |
| Madison County | No qualifying records yet | Yes: migration |
| Mahoning County | No qualifying records yet | Yes: migration |
| Marion County | No qualifying records yet | Yes: migration |
| Medina County | Recorded, too few records for a result | Yes: summer, migration |
| Meigs County | No qualifying records yet | Yes: migration |
| Mercer County | No qualifying records yet | Yes: summer |
| Miami County | No qualifying records yet | Yes: summer, migration |
| Monroe County | No qualifying records yet | Yes: migration |
| Montgomery County | Recorded, too few records for a result | Yes: migration |
| Morgan County | No qualifying records yet | Yes: migration |
| Morrow County | No qualifying records yet | Yes: migration |
| Muskingum County | No qualifying records yet | Yes: migration |
| Noble County | No qualifying records yet | Yes: migration |
| Ottawa County | Recorded, too few records for a result | Yes: summer |
| Paulding County | No qualifying records yet | Yes: summer |
| Perry County | No qualifying records yet | Yes: migration |
| Pickaway County | No qualifying records yet | Yes: migration |
| Pike County | No qualifying records yet | Yes: migration |
| Portage County | Recorded, too few records for a result | Yes: migration |
| Preble County | No qualifying records yet | Yes: migration |
| Putnam County | No qualifying records yet | Yes: summer |
| Richland County | No qualifying records yet | Yes: migration |
| Ross County | No qualifying records yet | Yes: migration |
| Sandusky County | Recorded, too few records for a result | Yes: summer |
| Scioto County | No qualifying records yet | Yes: migration |
| Seneca County | No qualifying records yet | Yes: summer, migration |
| Shelby County | No qualifying records yet | Yes: summer, migration |
| Stark County | Recorded, too few records for a result | Yes: migration |
| Summit County | No qualifying records yet | Yes: migration |
| Trumbull County | No qualifying records yet | No |
| Tuscarawas County | No qualifying records yet | Yes: migration |
| Union County | No qualifying records yet | Yes: migration |
| Van Wert County | No qualifying records yet | Yes: summer |
| Vinton County | No qualifying records yet | Yes: migration |
| Warren County | No qualifying records yet | Yes: migration |
| Washington County | No qualifying records yet | Yes: migration |
| Wayne County | Recorded, too few records for a result | Yes: migration |
| Williams County | No qualifying records yet | Yes: summer |
| Wood County | No qualifying records yet | Yes: summer |
| Wyandot County | No qualifying records yet | Yes: migration |
Season
When it is recorded
In Ohio
Early May to late June, middle week early May
Recorded in two separate seasons, each shown with its own early, middle and late weeks. A later season is not shown: the weeks are still too uncertain.
Records per week from 70 records in 10 of the 10 years from 2016 to 2025. Shows when people recorded it, not a season or how common it is.
Show as a table
| Week | Records of Grass Wren | Years recorded | Records of all species |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jan 4–10 | 0 | 0 | 6,211 |
| Jan 11–17 | 0 | 0 | 5,146 |
| Jan 18–24 | 0 | 0 | 4,645 |
| Jan 25–31 | 0 | 0 | 4,698 |
| Feb 1–7 | 0 | 0 | 6,023 |
| Feb 8–14 | 0 | 0 | 5,888 |
| Feb 15–21 | 0 | 0 | 5,436 |
| Feb 22–28 | 0 | 0 | 6,846 |
| Mar 1–7 | 0 | 0 | 8,321 |
| Mar 8–14 | 0 | 0 | 10,384 |
| Mar 15–21 | 0 | 0 | 12,620 |
| Mar 22–28 | 0 | 0 | 13,949 |
| Mar 29 – Apr 4 | 0 | 0 | 19,661 |
| Apr 5–11 | 0 | 0 | 26,860 |
| Apr 12–18 | 0 | 0 | 39,925 |
| Apr 19–25 | 0 | 0 | 41,623 |
| Apr 26 – May 2 | 0 | 0 | 56,391 |
| May 3–9 | 5 | 3 | 52,952 |
| May 10–16 | 16 | 6 | 53,785 |
| May 17–23 | 8 | 4 | 57,698 |
| May 24–30 | 1 | 1 | 54,651 |
| May 31 – Jun 6 | 2 | 2 | 53,099 |
| Jun 7–13 | 1 | 1 | 53,700 |
| Jun 14–20 | 1 | 1 | 56,625 |
| Jun 21–27 | 4 | 2 | 55,361 |
| Jun 28 – Jul 4 | 2 | 1 | 58,477 |
| Jul 5–11 | 0 | 0 | 61,336 |
| Jul 12–18 | 0 | 0 | 64,722 |
| Jul 19–25 | 6 | 3 | 69,753 |
| Jul 26 – Aug 1 | 5 | 4 | 59,416 |
| Aug 2–8 | 1 | 1 | 59,712 |
| Aug 9–15 | 6 | 2 | 55,994 |
| Aug 16–22 | 1 | 1 | 54,328 |
| Aug 23–29 | 0 | 0 | 51,772 |
| Aug 30 – Sep 5 | 1 | 1 | 57,167 |
| Sep 6–12 | 0 | 0 | 59,075 |
| Sep 13–19 | 0 | 0 | 54,543 |
| Sep 20–26 | 0 | 0 | 45,860 |
| Sep 27 – Oct 3 | 2 | 2 | 43,180 |
| Oct 4–10 | 4 | 2 | 37,841 |
| Oct 11–17 | 1 | 1 | 30,824 |
| Oct 18–24 | 1 | 1 | 21,156 |
| Oct 25–31 | 0 | 0 | 19,021 |
| Nov 1–7 | 1 | 1 | 14,172 |
| Nov 8–14 | 1 | 1 | 12,621 |
| Nov 15–21 | 0 | 0 | 7,965 |
| Nov 22–28 | 0 | 0 | 8,136 |
| Nov 29 – Dec 5 | 0 | 0 | 6,083 |
| Dec 6–12 | 0 | 0 | 6,004 |
| Dec 13–19 | 0 | 0 | 5,423 |
| Dec 20–26 | 0 | 0 | 5,661 |
| Dec 27 – Jan 2 | 0 | 0 | 8,459 |
What these results show
These results show when people recorded a species, not when or where it occurs. Missing weeks and low counts do not mean absence or scarcity, and counts are not abundance. Contributed records reflect where, when and what people chose to observe.
Identification
How to identify it
Months not reported
- Jan: no record
- Feb: no record
- Mar: no record
- Apr: no record
- May: recorded
- Jun: recorded
- Jul: recorded
- Aug: recorded
- Sep: recorded
- Oct: recorded
- Nov: recorded
- Dec: no record
Not reported in Ohio in December to April, 2016 to 2025.
Time of day it is recorded
From 64 Ohio records with a time. Most records are made when people are outside, so night and early-morning species are under-recorded.
Land cover where it is recorded
| Land cover | Its recordsAll Ohio records |
|---|---|
| Wetland | 37%5% |
| Farmland | 33%11% |
| Developed | 22%49% |
| Forest | 7%31% |
From 27 records placed within 100 m, beside all Ohio records placed the same way. People record where they go, so this shows where records come from, not where the species lives. Land cover: USGS Annual NLCD, 2025 (opens in a new tab)
Finer identifications
Some Ohio records of this species were identified to a subspecies:
- Cistothorus platensis stellarissubspecies
Every one of these records counts toward the Grass Wren's season above.
Why some records go further than species
Many species vary from place to place. Groups of a species that look or sound a little different, and live in different areas, can be named as subspecies. Observers and experts only identify a record that far when it shows enough detail to tell them apart. Records without that detail count at the species level.
Names: Catalogue of Life.
Sources
Where these results come from
- Records from iNaturalist research-grade observations and expert-identified GBIF datasets, CC0, CC BY and CC BY-NC. Sources
- Seasons use the published method and its evidence thresholds. Methods
- See it on iNaturalist (opens in a new tab)OpenPhenology is independent and not affiliated with iNaturalist.
Records behind the Ohio result
70 records from 2 datasets.
- iNaturalist Research-grade Observations (opens in a new tab) · iNaturalist.org · 69 recordsiNaturalist contributors, iNaturalist (2026). iNaturalist Research-grade Observations. iNaturalist.org. Occurrence dataset https://doi.org/10.15468/ab3s5x accessed via GBIF.org on 2026-11-13.
- iNaturalist observations (opens in a new tab) · iNaturalist.org · 1 recordiNaturalist. Available from https://www.inaturalist.org. Accessed 2026-11-13
To cite: the GBIF download doi:10.15468/dl.y2jkt8 (opens in a new tab).
A spreadsheet (CSV) with a link to each record, on iNaturalist or GBIF. Records whose location was hidden by the observer or the source are counted but not linked.