Thryothorus ludovicianus                                        Photo Bill Chitty ©

The Carolina Wren is easily recognized by the white stripe above each eye and its distinctive "tail-up" posture that it assumes as it flits about the bushes. Energetic and vocal this little wren has one of the loudest songs of any small bird. Males sing their “tea-kettle-tea-kettle-tea-kettle-tea." song hundreds of times a day, all year long. One particularly busy bird was recorded singing almost 3,000 times in a single day!

Carolina wrens form lifelong pair bonds and pairs often stay together for years. The birds move and feed together, where you see one, you will usually see its mate foraging close by. The pair works together to build a nest, which can be in a tree hole or on a branch, but Carolina wrens are well known for choosing to nest in man made structures such as mail boxes, door wreaths, flower pots, or even a cardboard box in a garage. They use sticks, hair, feathers, and anything that looks suitable—even shed snakeskins. They often build multiple nests then select one to raise their chicks.

When feeding, a Carolina wren hops around on the ground and in the underbrush turning over dead leaves, and probing cracks and crannies for spiders, insects and larvae. They also eat fruit and berries, but rarely come to bird feeders.

A female lays 3-4 eggs, then incubates them for 14 days, during which time the male brings her food. The parents feed the chicks in the nest for two weeks, then, after the chicks fledge, the parents continue to feed them for a further two weeks. A pair of Carolina wrens can have three broods in a year.

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