Carolina Wren - Small but Mighty!!

Carolina Wren - Small but Mighty!!

I pulled into our garage after a long day of work, gathered my things and got out of the car to head inside, and – bam!!  A little brown ball of feathers dive-bombed me and made it clear that I had invaded HER territory!  I ducked and headed for the door, while she flew to the top of the garage door opener.  Then I saw the reason for her ferocity – She was building a nest there.  In OUR garage.  Wait – is it our garage, or is it hers?  She would have me believe that she had taken over the ownership.

Carolina wrens are the forceful but delightful personalities in our local songbird world.  These small brown birds are inquisitive, busy, and constantly moving.  They are fun to watch as they flit about on their daily activities.  They are the largest of the wrens (less common winter wrens and house wrens are also seen in our area at various times) and yet are only about 5.5 inches long and weigh an ounce or less.  A Carolina wren’s head and back are a beautiful honey brown color, and its underparts are white with a rusty wash.  These birds have long, slightly downturned bills, and distinct white stripes through their eyes.  And they have short stubby tails that are usually cocked at a 90 degree angle to their bodies.

And they are loud!  You likely have heard one even if you did not see it.  Their song is one of the brightest and cheeriest of the songbirds, usually heard as “TEA-kettle, TEA-kettle, TEA-kettle.”  They have other calls that also strongly announce their presence.  They thrive in town settings as long as enough trees and low growth in the area provide cover for them, and their rich melodic sounds will let local residents know that they are around.

These little birds will nest anywhere.  In addition to the top of our garage door opener, we have had them attempt to nest in a pocket of an old flannel shirt of my husband’s, and on a shelf in our storage room.  If we remove the beginnings of a nest, the wrens persistently attempt another one.  And another.  One year we had to leave the garage door shut at all times because of one particularly determined wren.  

Carolina wrens usually eat insects; however, they do come to feeders, especially in the winter.  They are attracted to suet more than to sunflower seed.  They will suddenly appear at the suet, get their fill, and then be gone again.  They are too busy to hang around socializing with the other birds at a feeding station.

The cheery behavior of Carolina wrens brings smiles to people’s faces.  Listen for their sounds, then watch for them in woods or in brush piles around more open areas.  They are a pleasant diversion in difficult times.  They are small but mighty in every way!