Friday, August 27, 2010

The Clever Little House Wren

The house wren is a common bird that can be found through out most North, Central, and South America. They get their name from the fact that they are a cavity nester. They will nest in nest boxes, tree hollows, or almost any other cavity that is available. Often they will drive away other birds, even destroying eggs or killing young that are already in a nest, to claim a preferred cavity.
The choice of a nesting cavity is important because external factors can negatively affect the productivity of the wren couple. Environmental factors like temperature, temps above 105 or below 65, can destroy the eggs. Nesting parasites can also be a problem, once the chicks hatch, but the clever house wren will often include spider egg sacks when building their nest. When the spiders hatch they eat any parasites that make their way into the nest which helps keep the nestling safe. I photographed this house wren at the Carpenter Nature Center.

9 comments:

KaHolly said...

Oh, I like learning such interesting little facts. Clever, indeed! ~karen

Anonymous said...

Such lovely photos! What a charmer that bird is.

EG CameraGirl said...

They are so cute it's difficult for me to get my head around the fact that they are so aggressive when it comes to finding the perfect nesting spot.

Cassiopeia said...

Excellent photos! Perfect exposure, no clutter, and the wren co-operated with wonderful poses.

Adding the info was I nice bonus too.

Mary Howell Cromer said...

They are way too sweet!

Joanne Olivieri said...

Love all this info on these adorable little birds. They have such cute and sweet faces.

Maria's Space said...

Nice looking bird. Very soft.

Mimi said...

Great pics, and I love the info you provided with it.

I've got hummingbirds featured in my CC post today & I'm just thrilled to watch them all day.

mrsnesbitt said...

Oh the wren - we have a couple who visit our garden such lovely creatures don't you think?

Denise