House Wren

If you live in the western hemisphere then chances are that you may have or may some day see one of these small song birds zipping though the trees and shrubs. The house wren has an extremely large range for a song bird. They can be found from breeding territories in southern Canada down to the tip of South America and most places in between. They live in a variety of different types of habitats and seem to do well in habitats which are populated with people.

House wrens are cavity nesters. They typically nest in tree cavities but they will also nest in nesting boxes or other man made cavities. They can be quite aggressive in their search for the perfect nest site, often driving away larger birds. The nest is a cup style which is built into a foundation of sticks that the wrens bring into the cavity. The nest cup is lined with feathers, hair, grasses and often spider egg sacks. The later helps to control insect parasites when the spiders hatch. This wren was nesting at the Carpenter Nature Center.