Learn More About the Little Bird That Likes to Live Big Wonderful Wrens.
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Transcript of Learn More About the Little Bird That Likes to Live Big Wonderful Wrens.
Learn More About the Little Bird That Likes to Live Big
WonderfulWrens
• Wrens’ family name, Troglodytidae , is from the word troglodyte, which means “cave-dweller”
• Some species of wrens have a tendency of foraging in dark crevices
Basic Wren Facts
• Wrens are small birds with loud and often complex songs
• Wrens have narrow heads and thin, down-turned bills – adapted for probing crevices
• Most wrens are cavity nesters
Basic Wren Facts
• Wrens have short, rounded wings
• This causes them to have a quick and erratic flight pattern
Basic Wren Facts
• Out of 75 species found in the New World, the Winter Wren is the only one to live outside of the Americas.
• The greatest diversity of wrens can be found in Central and South America
Basic Wren Facts
• Various wren species can be found in a number of habitats – grasslands, deep forests, forest edges, marshland vegetation such as reeds and cattails, some wetland forests, abandoned farmland and suburban gardens
Basic Wren Facts
• Carolina Wrens are truly monogamous, keeping the same mate for life
• Pairs stay together year-round, foraging and moving around within their territory
Carolina Wren Facts
• A female Carolina Wren is unable to defend her territory alone
• Because of this, females spend much of their time watching for predators when foraging with their mates
Carolina Wren Facts
• Rising temperatures may have aided their northward expansion since the mid-1900s
• They do not migrate
• They are sensitive to cold, and northern populations decrease substantially during severe winters
Carolina WrenFacts
• Nests of Carolina Wrens have been reported in a variety of nooks and crannies in, around or under buildings, under bridges or in holes in any structure such as a porch, fence-post, flowerpot, tree, house or barn
NestingBehaviors
• Carolina Wrens normally nest two times a year, but sometimes three
• Females typically lay between four to six eggs
• This usually takes place over a period of several days
Nesting Behaviors
• Eggs are grayish-white and sprinkled with reddish-brown spots
• Only the female incubates the eggs for 12 to 14 days
NestingBehaviors
• Young leave the nest 12 to 14 days after hatching
• Both males and females feed the young
• The same nest may be used more than once
Nesting Behaviors
• House Wrens nest in abandoned woodpecker holes or tree cavities, or even unoccupied hornet nests
• They also use human-made nest boxes and other artificial nesting sites
House WrenFacts
• A male House Wren may claim a nesting cavity by filling it with numerous small twigs
• If a female likes what she sees, she will take over, adding the nest cup and lining it with grass, inner bark, hair and feathers
House WrenFacts
• The stick filled cavity provides “stilts” for the nest cup which allows rainwater to collect at the bottom of the nest cavity without endangering the eggs or young
House WrenFacts
• Females lay four to eight eggs, which are whitish with small reddish brown spots
• Eggs are incubated 13 to 15 days by the female
House WrenFacts
• Young are born helpless, blind, and naked, and stay in the nest for 12-18 days after hatching
• House Wrens have two to three broods a year
House WrenFacts
• House Wrens are known for destroying the eggs or young of other birds nesting within 100 feet of their own nest
• In some areas, this is the primary source of nesting failure for Tree Swallows, chickadees and bluebirds
House WrenFacts
• The oldest banded Carolina Wren was 9 years and 3 months old
• The oldest banded House Wren was 9 years old
LongestLifetimes
For more information about wrens, visit our online field guide:
www.rightbird.com
WebResource