Species profile: the house wren
We had a new visitor to our feeders this week, and it has been coming regularly: a little house wren. These are not really feeder birds since they are insectivores, but they are quite a common site to backyards in North America. Our little house wren is looking through the forest of sunflowers for insects. Wrens are cavity nesters, and are very easy to attract to nest boxes. If you would like to set up a nest box for local birds, this is a good species to begin with. Your chances of success are great, and since the house wren is so small, a small hole is all that is needed to keep out sparrows and starlings.
House wrens will investigate several likely cavities before selecting the nesting site, and will defend them all. They often will pierce the eggs of other species in nest boxes and either take over the nest box, or nest nearby. The male adds sticks to the cavity for the nest and then attracts the female who makes the nest cup and lining. I found it interesting that young males nesting for the first time tend to nest close to more experienced males while older males tend to nest further away. Some think that the younger male is taking clues from the older and more experienced wrens to build his nest.
More information, including a recording of the song can be found at WhatBird.com, an online field guide.
birding, backyard birding, birdwatching, house wren
August 2nd, 2007 at 7:42 pm
I just cleaned out some planters and found a used wren nest in one. This mom really had a deluxe crib for her little ones.