Birding at MOSI Outside: Carolina Wren

Though you'll find a good population of Carolina Wrens (Thryothorus ludovicianus) here at MOSI Outside, they're more often seen than heard. These little brown and rust-colored birds are fairly shy, and spend most of their time foraging in thick vegetation or brushy undergrowth. The loud song of the male, often described as "teakettle-teakettle", is often your only indication these birds are around. (Unlike other wrens, only the males of a pair sing, though they certainly seem to sing loudly enough for both.)

Once you spot one, identification is easy due to the white stripe that runs from the beak over the eye and around to the back of the head. The short bill is stout and curved, all the better for turning over leaves and digging into tree bark looking for their favored food - insects. Carolina Wrens are almost entirely insectivores, only occasionally adding berries or fruit to their diet. You'll almost never see them at traditional backyard seed feeders.

Carolina Wrens mate for life, and bonded pairs stay together year-round, foraging for food and defending their territory. Although the birds themselves are pretty timid around humans, they don't seem to have any qualms about nesting close to human habitation, in just about any nook or cranny they can find. Carolina Wrens are cavity nesters, seeking out holes in trees 3 - 6 feet about the ground when in the wild. In more settled territory, these birds will nest anywhere from a flower pot to a coat pocket left unattended for too long. Males often build several nests, allowing the female to choose her favorite, where she'll lay her eggs over a period of several days.

With spring approaching, we'll be on the lookout for Carolina Wren nests. Last year, we had a wren's nest in an abandoned (or so the wrens thought) flower pot near our lab door, but it was raided by predators before the nestlings could fledge. Hopefully this year will see more successful nesting attempts here at MOSI Outside.