On
April 23, 2010, we heard the unmistakable singing of a house wren. Last
year after what Food Guy called William the Wren, had a wonderful little family in one of our close bird
houses, we saw very little of him and them. Soon another male appeared.
This one had white feathers on his right wing edge. Even though he too
sang his little heart out and restuffed William's bird houses with new
sticks, I don't think he ever found his true love.
This year Mr.
White
Wing wren is back in full song and filling every box he can find with
twigs large and small. Food Guy likes to think he leaves longer sticks
in the opening so he'll know if it was disturbed by interlopers. I
personally believe the male wren can't find his tape measure when
seeking appropriate material for DIY projects.
By May1st he found a female who surveyed his crude nesting attempts
and quickly picked the one with the best potential and started
redecorating.
May
to June, 2009 - The male house wren appeared to be much bolder this
year. He started nests (sometimes with enormous sticks) in
almost every bird house we had. He managed to oust the other
potential house hunters (the tree swallows, chickadees, and
bluebirds). But he did frequently sing his little heart out near the
picture-taking window.
June 15, 2009 - Babies finally left the birdhouse with much pushing
and shoving (the same as siblings everywhere).
April
29, 2009 - The little house wren male is once again
selecting several bird houses (we added a few more this
year). It's amusing to watch him put three sticks
at the bottom and consider the nest started. He is much
less shy around us now than last year. His singing
is so pleasant and he is so cute, I can see why a female
wren might overlook his lack of decorating skills.
In spring (2008) we hung a small, diamond-shaped bird house outside the
center divider between the double windows in my art room. A huge
neglected bush is growing before the windows, offering extreme privacy
from the side yard.
What the interested house wrens seemed unaware of was our ability to
observe the new move-in activities. The female chose this site
from several nests started by the male. She busily redecorated his
"handiwork". Food guy watched as she struggled to use sticks and
twigs that seemed too large for the opening. One had to remain "sticking"
(pun intended) out the front door.
During the first weeks of June we were eventually lucky to be able to enjoy the babies' first
adventures out of the box and onto the bush. We had a wonderful viewing
window and didn't interfere with any of the family's doings, while
taking tons of baby pictures.
| |
|
 |
|
|
|
Size:
|
Length: 4.75-5 in
Weight: .4 oz
Wingspan: 6 in
|
|
ID:
|
Male: Small, dull gray or brown overall; delicate dark
barring on wings and tail; faintly patterned belly and
undertail; long, thin slightly curved sharp, dark gray bill;
light brown anisodactylous feet (three toes point forward and one toe
points backward); tail often held erect; pale eye ring with
a pale streak over the eye
Female and Juvenile: Same as
male
|
|
Habitat:
|
Forest edges, shrubs, thickets residential and agricultural
lands
|
|
Diet:
|
Insects (beetles and grasshoppers), caterpillars, spiders and
snails
|
|
Family Behavior:
|
Mating Habits: Monogamous and solitary, but occasionally
polygamous; female may leave male to tend fledglings and move to
another male's territory for a second clutch of eggs; male
highly territorial and may destroy eggs of nearby competing
species; 2 broods per year
Local Breeding Period: Late May
Nests: Male starts several nests by cramming a few sticks into
available cavities (nest boxes, abandoned holes, buckets,
baskets, anything large enough to hold a nest); female selects
her mate then settles for one of these nest starts and adds
grass, feathers, small twigs and pine needles; usually built
near previous year's nesting area
Eggs: 4-8 white with reddish brown markings; male and female
incubate 12-14 days
Nestlings: Born altricial (helpless, naked, eyes closed) and
stay in nest 12-18 days; fed by both parents or male only
|
|
Social Activities:
|
Relatively bold, energetic and tame
|
|
Range:
|
Southern Canada across northern US in summer; migrates to
southern US (below Virginia) and into South America
|
|
Vocalization:
|
Sings a loud flute-like melody from dawn to dusk during mating
season; gurgling outbursts repeated at short intervals to claim
territory and attract a mate; call is a rough scolding clatter
|
|
Lifespan: |
Up to 9 years |
