Neighborhood Wrens

My past articles have been about some of our big and obvious birds (doves, grackles, starlings). This time I'm writing about a smaller and more challenging group of birds -- wrens. Wrens are a world-wide family of small active insect eaters. They are usually different shades of brown and grey and have a distinctive chunky body shape with a slightly curved bill and cocked tail. Often they forage on or near the ground in low brush. Some species specialize in rocky habitat. Wrens can be very secretive and hard to see but they can also be very active and fun to watch. Most are inquisitive foragers that hop around and inspect every nook and cranny they can find. Many also sing from exposed perches. Their songs are often loud and melodious and their calls harsh, chattering, even grating. And some wrens are frequently heard more easily than seen.

We have 3 species of wrens in our neighborhood. Carolina Wrens and Bewick's Wrens live here all year long and can be found in most of our yards. House Wrens are only here in the winter and can sometimes be found in our yards, but they are more often found in denser cover by the creek. Finding these wrens and learning how to recognize them by sight and sound is a great way to start learning how to observe birds and nature more closely. And it's fun!

Carolina Wren

Carolina Wrens are our most common wren and I see or hear 2-14 almost every time I bird the neighborhood. They are about 5 and a half inches long and have a warm reddish brown back, wings, and tail. The breast and belly are are a light yellowish buff. And they have a bold white stripe over their eyes. Their song is a loud clear whistle of 3 or 4 syllables sung all year long. It's often the first thing I hear in the morning. Their song is similar in tone to the Northern Cardinal song which has a more liquid and gurgling quality than the Carolina Wren's. Also the cardinal's song does not have the 3 or 4 syllables repeated over and over like the wren's. And cardinals only sing in the spring and the summer.

Only the male Carolina Wrens sing but the females often make a loud rattling call at the same time. These sounds are used to establish and maintain territories which are used for breeding and foraging. Breeding pairs are thought to be monogamous and maintain their territories all year long. Nesting and breeding can take place from March until early October, but I haven't seen much evidence of it here after August. Nests are built in all kinds of natural or unnatural cavities, crevices, nooks, and crannies including tree cavities, dense bushes, old shoes, tin cans, car grills, etc. Carolina Wrens primarily eat insects and spiders which they find by very active foraging on or near the ground. They use a wide range of habitat but it always includes some low cover. Carolina Wrens prefer much of the same habitat type as Bewick's Wrens. But in general Carolinas prefer moister bottomlands while Bewick's prefer drier upland woods. Even so, I've seen both birds in the same tree in my backyard.

This singing Carolina Wren was photographed on 11/11/2007 near the last dam on Lake Creek. Notice the white eye stripe, warm buffy breast color, and reddish brown back and wings.

Click photo for larger view

Bewick's Wren

Bewick's Wrens are slightly less common than Carolina and I usually see or hear 1-8 when I bird the neighborhood. (Maybe 25% of the time I do not encounter any.) They are named after Thomas Bewick, an 18th century wood engraver and ornithologist whose name is pronounced like the car brand. Bewick's Wrens are very similar in appearance to Carolina. They share the same wren body shape, distinctive white eye stripe, and to some extent, colors. But Bewick's are slightly smaller and slimmer than Carolinas and have a slightly longer tail. And while the colors are similar, Bewick's Wrens have much more grey and less red. They have a duller, washed-out version of the Carolina Wren's colors. Bewick's Wrens have light brown or tan backs, wings, and tail. Their breast and belly are off-white or light grey, with no trace of buff.

Luckily the Bewick's Wren song is very different. It's a complex song full of trills and fast notes. Only the males sing. In some populations they sing year-round, but in our neighborhood it's mostly in the spring and summer, tapering off in the fall, and only rarely in the winter. Males and females also often make a distinctive "churr" call note. Males keep territories year-round, but breeding pairs only stay together in the breeding season. Nesting habits are very similar to Carolina but I think Bewick's Wrens have a slightly stronger preference for cavities and are more likely to use small bird houses. Bewick's Wrens also eat mostly insects and spiders that they find during very active foraging. Low foraging is common but Bewick's Wrens will also look for food higher in the trees than Carolina Wrens. And they will often join the mixed species foraging flocks we have in the winter.

This singing Bewick's Wren was photographed on near Stillforest and Meadowheath on 8/25/2007. Notice the white eye stripe, grey breast and belly, and light brown or tan back and wings.

Click photo for larger view

House Wren

House Wrens are only here in the winter. They occur over most of North and South America and they are one of the most studied birds in their north American breeding range. But in our neighborhood they are much less common than the other wrens and I only hear or see 1 or 2 (if any) when I go out in September through March. The biggest difference in appearance between House Wrens and the others is that there is little or no white stripe over the eye. House Wrens are also darker than Carolina and Bewick's. They are mostly brown but it's a darker brown with more grey and almost no red. The breast and belly are a darker grey than Bewick's. House Wrens don't sing while they are in our neighborhood. And the calls and scolds they make are similar to Bewick's and Carolinas but raspier and squawkier. Sometimes they can even make a cat-like sound.

This House Wren was photographed on the flood plain property near Holbrook St. on 2/11/2007. Notice the lack of eye stripe, dark grey breast and dark brown back and wings.

Click photo for larger view

Go See and Hear For Yourself

I encourage you to follow the links below and listen to the songs of the Carolina Wren and Bewick's Wren. Then listen for these songs in your yard or around the neighborhood. If you hear one close by try to see the bird and first see if you can recognize it as just a wren. Then start trying to narrow it down to Carolina, Bewick's, or even House. And as always, if you have questions or comments or if you are interested in the neighborhood bird walk, email me!