General Information                                                                                                                                                                                   

• Out of 78 species of wrens found in the New World, the Winter Wren is the only one to take up residence outside of the Americas.

• Five species of wrens can be found in North Carolina.

       o Two species (Carolina Wren and House Wren) are found throughout the state year-round.

       o The Marsh Wren is a permanent resident in the coastal areas.

       o The Winter Wren is a permanent resident in the Appalachia area and a winter resident in the piedmont and coastal area.

       o The Sedge Wren is a winter resident in the coastal plain. It is a rare migrator through the piedmont and mountain areas.

• Despite their name, Carolina Wrens can be found in a portion of the Midwest, New England, and Southern areas of the United States.

       o They prefer vegetated habitats. Anywhere overgrown with low growing plants or even suburban areas with shrubbery or thick undergrowth.

       o You can increase your chances of attracting Carolina Wrens to you feeders by providing a brush pile close to your feeding area. They feel more secure and enjoy investigating areas with heavy vegetation.

• Carolina Wrens are similar in size to a chickadee. They have dark brown feathers on their head, back and tail with black bars. They have a white eyebrow, and a cream-colored chest. Their tail is longer for their body size, and is often held at a higher angle compared to other birds.

• A single male Carolina Wren can sing up to forty different songs – up to 3,000 times in a single day

       o Their most famous song sounds like “tea-kettle, tea-kettle, tea-kettle”

       o Unlike other wren species, only the male Carolina Wren sings the loud song. The females do not participate in a duet.

Feeding Behavior

• Wrens are insectivores! This means they enjoy a primary diet of insects such as spiders, grasshoppers and caterpillars. They occasionally eat fruit pulp and seeds from plants like bayberry, sweetgum and even poison ivy.

• Carolina Wrens are incredibly common to find at bird feeders. They will eat sunflower seeds, but especially enjoy suet/bark butter bits, and mealworms.

• Wrens use a feeding strategy called gleaning. They pluck insects off the ground, tree bark and foliage, and crevices of rock surfaces. It is not surprising to find a wren flipping leaf litter over with their beak while looking for food.

       o They are also exceptionally good at clinging! They can use many of the same feeders that woodpeckers enjoy.

Nesting Behavior

• A pair bond may form between a male and a female Carolina Wren at any time of the year, and the pair will stay together for life. Members of a pair stay together to forage and move around their territory year-round.

       o Male and female wrens work together when foraging. The female keeps an eye out for predators while the male looks for food.

• Nest boxes, flower pots, shoes – you name it! Carolina Wrens will attempt to nest almost anywhere!

• The male often starts making a few nests in various sites, but once the female selects a final location the pair works together to build the nest.

       o The nest is often a domed style nest made of a variety of plant debris, leaves, and other fibers. It may not be domed if the nest is placed in a cavity.  It is usually between three to six feet off the ground, but is no higher then ten feet.  

       o It can take up to a week for the nest to be completed. Later in the season, new nests can be constructed in as little as four days.