Species Specifics: Carolina Wren

I can’t count the number of times customers have told me stories about little brown birds that decide to nest in their garage (or shed or tool box or front door wreath or hanging flower basket or apron pocket or old boot) and, with no further identification, I’m able to tell them that their “little brown bird” is a Carolina wren!

The Carolina wren is a stocky bird with an upturned tail and a slightly downturned bill; it is cinnamon brown on top, light buff below, with a prominent white eyebrow. At 5½", this is the largest eastern wren.

The Carolina wren is a southeastern bird whose range has slowly crept northward; they are now common in the northeast and upper midwest. Carolina wrens sometimes don’t survive severe winters and the species’ range then retreats south.

This little wren has a great, big voice: a loud, three part phrase that sounds to me like “tea kettle, tea kettle, tea kettle”. Get too close to their nest and they’ll scold you with a loud, raspy buzz!

Carolina wrens will forage for small insects from the tops of the trees down to the leaf litter on the ground. They’ll scrounge around the edges of your windows and under your porch looking for tiny spiders and spider eggs. This wren will even visit your birdfeeding station for small bits of seed and suet. I put out meal worms every day for the pair of Carolina wrens that visit my backyard.

As you’ve already learned, Carolina wrens will build their nests just about anywhere – in tree cavities, manmade nesting boxes, even inside buildings! Both sexes spend about 5 days building the domed nest of twigs, mosses, bark, and rootlets, lined with softer material. For 12-14 days the male feeds the female while she alone incubates 4-8 cream colored eggs marked with brown splotches. The nestlings are fed by both parents for another 12-14 days before fledging. Carolina wrens usually produce 2-3 broods each year.

The next time you open your garage door or try to water your hanging plants and a stocky, little brown bird darts out and starts to scold you, there’s no need to get out the field guide for identification...it’s a Carolina wren!