House Wren

The House Wren is one of the cutest little birds in our garden. But they have an alter-ego!

Latin name: Troglodytes aedon

Length, wingspan: 4.75″, 6″

What they eat: Insectivore

Plants that attract: Dense shrubs and landscaping

Where they nest: Tree cavities, nest boxes (4″ sq., 1-1/4″ entrance hole)

My observations: The House Wren is a tiny brown bird with narrowly-striped feathers and upswept tails. The males have a lovely warbling call (refer to video below) while their young chicks have annoying, rasping chirps. We hear those when they’re waiting for a parent to return to the nest with a tasty meal. I love the birds’ voracious appetites for insects but I’m going to spill the beans on a rather nasty secret.

The House Wren is very competitive for nesting sites and will pierce other types of birds’ eggs with their beaks. This kills the embryos, causing the parents to abandon their nests. We were shocked to learn this and actually witnessed it firsthand. First, it happened to the eggs in robin nests. Then it happened to Cedar Waxwings that were nesting in our garden for the first time. While I still welcome all birds to our garden with open arms, I’m less than enthralled with House Wrens now! These birds arrive in our garden in the spring, nest in the summer and migrate south in the fall.

Wren videos:

Here’s a video of a House Wren feeding its young:

And this video gives you the opportunity to hear a male’s beautiful song:

Here’s a quick video I shot with my phone of a baby Wren that I rescued after it flew into our garage. You’ll notice how it starts calling to its mom once it heard her calling out:

For more details about this bird, go to Cornell’s All About Birds website.

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