House Wren
Their nesting and feeding habits are easily observed, as these birds tend to be somewhat tolerant of humans. Their relentless searching for insects during the nesting phase can be an asset to the backyard gardener.
Description
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Measuring 5 inches long with a plump body and a short tail.
The upperparts are unstreaked and grayish brown while the underparts are grayish white.
This bird has no prominent field marks.
If you spend any time at all watching these birds, you'll easily know the extent of its territory.
The male usually has three prominent perches from which he defends his territory of 1/2 - 3/4 acres.
Mating Habits
Easily attracted to wren houses the male arrives first in early Spring and begins to establish his territory. You'll know he has arrived when you begin hearing him sing from his perches.As you watch, you'll notice he begins placing sticks into prospective nest holes. He may build as many as twelve different nesting sites.
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The female selects the one she likes and begins to rebuild by adding soft materials to the nest before laying eggs.
House wrens are cavity nesters and as such, are easily attracted to birdhouses. In fact, these birds seem to prefer man-made nest boxes to natural cavities.
Nesting Habits
The nesting site can be located anywhere from 4-30 ft. above|
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Incubation time last 12-15 days and the young will leave the nest in 16-17 days.
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For their size, these birds can be very aggressive, often piercing other cavity nesting birds eggs. Thought should be given as to whether or not to place birdhouses for Wrens. If you're trying to attract other cavity nesting birds such as Bluebirds, you may not want to allow House Wrens to nest around your property. Wrens will take over even active nest of other birds by destroying eggs.
The male will bring food to the female while she incubates the eggs. The House Wrens diet consist almost entirely of insects.Rarely bothered by general human presence, if the bird watcher gets to close to the nest, she stands a good chance at being scolded.
Wrens will attempt raising two broods a season. Second broods are raised at a different nest site. Cleaning of any bird house should be done between broods. First, cleaning should be done in late fall and the second cleaning should be done after the first nesting.
If you don't have any nesting before about June but you get them after that time, that usually means it's their second nesting and that they have nested somewhere else already. The breeding seasons runs from March to July.
Learn About
Wren Houses For Backyard Nesting
Learn the habits of the Carolina Wren
Back to Top House Wren
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