| The feisty little house wren which is aggressive enough to drive a downy woodpecker from a newly completed nest hole is one of the characteristic birds of wooded streambanks and woodland edges. It is equally at home around farmyards and suburban areas, having developed a liking for the artificial world of man.
The house wren is a small dusky brown bird with finely barred wings and tail and few distinguishing marks. It is very similar to the winter wren which is smaller darker and has pale eyebrow. In spite of its cute appearance, cocked-up tail, perpetual motion and constant chatter, the house wren is still considered a villain by some folks. The males usually vandalize the nests of other hole-nesting species within their territories, puncturing the eggs or even throwing the young from the nest. Chickadees are especially vulnerable.
I have always enjoyed the presence of the house wrens. They arrive in early April and breed throughout the central and northern United States and southern Canada. There is never a doubt when they arrive as the singing begins at once. During courtship, the male sings with wings quivering and tail raised. The loud, clear bubbling song of the male is one of the dominant characteristics of its striking personality. The house wren winters in southern California, throughout the gulf states down into Mexico and the tropics.
The house wren, like its cousin the, Carolina wren stands out as one of the most eccentric of our birds in the choice of its nesting site. In fact, its choice exhibits such extreme variation that it is difficult to select one that might be considered typical. They are quick to avail themselves of houses constructed for their own special use, but are just as apt to accept an old rusty can in a garbage heap or the pocket of a coat on a clothesline. At a sanctuary on Wallops Island, Virginia, twenty-four empty cow skulls found bleaching on the island were hung up or lodged in the nearby shrubbery. Almost immediately twenty-three of the gruesome skulls were occupied by house wrens quick to accept them as nest sites.
Clutches consist of 5-8 white eggs, thickly speckled with brown laid in a nest of twigs lined with feathers and other soft materials. The eggs hatch after being incubated 13-15 days by the female and leave the nest about two weeks later. The males show a strong tendency to return to the same breeding site each year. If they return to find an old nest they will usually disassemble the nest only to construct a new nest reusing many of the same materials. Like all wrens the feed mainly on insects as well as millipedes, spiders and snails.
Length 4 1/2 - 5 1/4 inches
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