Wren BIrd
Wrens are small, yet they have big voices, and an exuberant presence that’s hard to ignore. I don’t even have to tempt them to my yard for a taste of the good life; both Carolina wrens and house wrens frequent my space. Their distraction-free singing, inquisitiveness and helpful insect-hunting make them some of the cutest, and my best-loved backyard birds.
If you aren’t seeing too many at your feeders and would like to attract more wrens to your yard, the good news is that they aren’t hard to please. The majority of wren species, particularly house wrens, will quickly occupy whatever nest boxes they can find, and they’re therefore among the easiest birds to entice to settle in an area. There are a number of wren species found in North America: Carolina wrens, house wrens, marsh wrens, winter wrens, and Bewick’s wrens, all of which exhibit similar behaviors.
Wrens make great pest control agents; they scour gardens and shrubbery for insects. If you want to see more of these voice ones in the expose of your home, some easy changes you can do to make your space inviting!
Wren | How to entice wren into your yard
1 Offer a variety of food
Wrens are primarily insectivorous, but they are frequent visitors to my seed feeders. They will consume sunflower chips, peanut fragments and suet, as well as meal worms that are live or dehydrated. While they don’t depend as much on seeds as finches or cardinals do, they won’t turn them away, particularly in colder months when insects can be scarce. Offering a variety of high-protein foods and soft seeds keeps them returning for more.
- Cardinal and Carolina Wren snacking at our window feeder
2 Choose the appropriate kinds of feeders
Because wrens eat insects and soft foods, and also because they’re often in a mad dash, they prefer platform feeders, suet cages or dish-style feeders that allow them to snag their morsels with ease. Stay away from large, open feeders that bring in larger birds that can harass wrens for food.
3 Put up nest boxes
Wrens will happily take nest boxes like bluebird houses, which have a 1-inch entrance hole, but they aren’t fussy and have been known to nest in old boots, cans or even hanging flower pots. Stack boxes 5-10 feet high, in a sheltered spot, and they might come back to use them year after year.
4 Provide a birdbath
Water — fresh, clean water — is as important as food. Wrens like shallow birdbaths with textured surfaces for good foot placement. A dripper or small fountain makes that water more obvious and appealing to them.
5 Use native plants to create natural shelter
Dense shrubs, vines and trees provide wrens places to hide, roost and forage. Native plants also support healthy insect populations, which wrens depend on for food. And leaving a few brush piles or patches of leaves will also make foraging spots.
6 Avoid pesticides
Wrens are insectivores and using pesticides lowers their food availability. With a pesticide-free yard comes a steady supply of caterpillars, beetles and spiders that wrens require to feed both themselves and their young.
7 Limit predators
The best protection for wrens and other small birds is to keep cats in. If you have issues with larger birds like crows or jays taking over nests, try locating nest boxes in less visible areas or near thorny shrubs that can provide protection.
8 Play wren songs track from your phone
As a last resort, you can try playing recorded wren calls, which may pique their interest. Wrens are territorial, so they might react to what they perceive as another wren in the neighborhood. But this should be used sparingly so you don’t overwhelm them.
Wren Visit Your Yard
Smith, Carolina wren, caterpillar
Carolina wren caught a caterpillar
Wrens are a large group of active little songbirds found throughout North America. House wrens and Carolina wrens are the most frequent backyard guests, but a few other species can be seen, depending on where you live.
They include the Bewick’s wren, marsh wren, winter wren, canyon wren, rock wren, sedge wren, Pacific wren and cactus wren. These species differ in their habitat preferences, ranging from dense woodlands to open deserts.
If you’re interested in learning more about wren species in North America, read about 10 types of wrens.
3 Facts About Wrens
Wrens are loud for their size – Even small body size can get vocal with wrens. The songs can be heard from quite far away, and some species, such as the Carolina wren, sing year around.
They’re fearless and territorial — Wrens aren’t shy about scaring much larger birds away from their nesting spots. House wrens, of all birds, are famous for stealing eggs from other nesting birds and claiming the site for themselves.
Some species flourish in extreme habitats — While many wrens inhabit forests and shrubby landscapes, some, such as the cactus wren, are perfectly suited to severe arid environments and seldom need to drink water, deriving adequate moisture from the bugs they consume.
Want to know even more about these colorful little birds? Browse our complete rundown of wren facts to learn even more about these little birds and their funny behavior, habitats, and other special characteristics.
MD Imdadul Haque is the founder of BirdzFly, a research-backed resource on North American backyard birds. Drawing on years of independent study into bird identification, behavior, and migration patterns, he writes in-depth guides designed to help US birders understand the species in their own backyards — from common feeder visitors to seasonal migrants passing through.
