Nests are placed near the ground in stumps, and a wide variety of structures built by man, or in crevices in earthen banks.
Long-billed Marsh Wren: Telmatodytes palustris dissaëptus (Bangs).—This is an uncommon summer resident in eastern Kansas in and around marshes. Presumably breeding individuals occur east of stations in Doniphan, Shawnee, and Sedgwick counties, but actual records of breeding come only from Doniphan County (Linsdale, 1928:505). First dates of arrival in spring run from April 19 to 29 (the median is April 22), and dates of last autumnal occurrence are from September 26 to October 31 (the median is October 8).
Breeding schedule.—Eggs are laid from May to August.
Number of eggs.—Clutch-size is 5 or 6 eggs; the range is from 3 to 10 (Welter, 1935).
Nests are woven of broad-bladed grasses, usually no farther than two feet from water or mud, suspended in vertical plant stalks or branches in marshes.
Short-billed Marsh Wren: Cistothorus platensis stellaris (Nauman).—This rare and irregular summer resident in northeastern Kansas occurs in wet meadowland. Breeding records are available from Douglas and Coffey counties. Temporal occurrence in the State is at least from April 29 to October 25; early dates are most likely of transients.
Breeding schedule.—Eggs are laid in late July and August.
Number of eggs.—Clutch-size is 6 or 7 eggs.
Nests are woven of plant fibers and placed in vertically-running stalks and stems of grasses and short, woody vegetation, within two feet of the ground.
Rock Wren: Salpinctes obsoletus obsoletus (Say).—This species is a common summer resident in western Kansas, in open, rocky country. Specimens taken in the breeding season and actual nests found come from west of stations in Decatur, Trego, and Comanche counties. Dates of occurrence are from April 2 to October 25. Autumnal, postbreeding movement brings the species east at least to Cloud County (October 7, 8, and 12) and Douglas County (October 25).