Thryothorus ludovicianus
Copyright, Dr. Dan Sudia
The Carolina Wren is our
most common wren. It grows more than 5 inches long and is
brown, with a light yellowish-beige belly. It has a large
white stripe over each eye, and a whitish throat. Like most
wrens, it often holds its tail up when perched. Carolina Wrens live in
thickets, forests, marshes, parks, streamsides, and gardens.
They like brushy areas with lots of shrubs and vines. These
birds live here year-round. In the Spring, Carolina
Wrens build a nest out of sticks, grass, weeds, leaves,
moss, pine needles, rootlets, bark strips, hair, feathers,
string, and other bits of trash. Sometimes they use
snakeskin. Nests are dome-shaped with an entrance on the
side. James Politte
(http://WashingtonDCMetroWeb.com)
Copyright, R. W. Scott, Birds in Flight
Copyright, Dr. William C.
Alexander Carolina Wrens are not
picky about where they build, even though it’s usually
in a shrub or vine. Other nesting places include tree
stumps, old woodpecker holes, brush piles, and evergreen
branches. Around people, wrens have used firewood stacks,
boxes, mailboxes, tin cans, old shoes, window sills, and
hanging plants to nest. These birds are also
known to make several nests in the same area; this may
confuse predators trying to find out where the eggs
are. Carolina Wrens pair for
life. Females lay four or five pinkish-white eggs, which
hatch in about two weeks. Young wrens leave their nest in
another two weeks.
Copyright, Eric Isley
The Carolina Wren’s
most common foods are insects and spiders. They feed mostly
on the ground, but will sometimes feed from tree trunks and
branches. Sometimes they search in squirrels’ nests,
which are usually home for many insects. Some of the animal foods
on the wren’s diet are: ants, bees, wasps,
caterpillars, moths, leafhoppers, beetles, grasshoppers,
crickets, cockroaches, flies, millipedes, isopods, snails,
and all sorts of spiders. Occasionally, a wren will eat a
tree frog or small lizard. Some fruits and seeds
eaten by Carolina Wrens include Poison Ivy, bayberry,
Sweetgum, sumacs, acorns, pine, and a variety of
weeds.
Copyright, Arlene Ripley, http://nestbox.com/intro.htm