House Wren

Troglodytes aedon 
Wren family (Troglodytidae)

Small bird, 4 ¼” long, with a big voice. Short tail is often cocked. Fairly uniform brownish gray, throat and chest light gray, sometimes with a buffy tinge.

Habitat:
Forest edges, shrubby thickets.

Nesting:
Nests in cavities. Uses natural cavities in trees, fence posts or stumps. Readily uses artificial nest boxes. Aggressively displaces Eastern Bluebirds or other inhabitants from artificial nest boxes. Fills nest box with twigs, then builds a small cup of fine grasses on top of the twigs. Clutch size – 4 to 8 eggs.

Voice:

Song is exuberant, a cascade of bubbling whistled notes.  Calls include a series of short scolding buzzes and a rattle-like “churr”. 

Name Origin:

Troglodytes, Greek for “cave dweller”; trogle, Greek for “hole”; dytes, Greek for “diver”, for bird’s tendency to dive into cover; aedon, Greek for a songstress from Aedon

In the Nature Park:
Short-distance migrant, arrives in April. Nests in artificial nest boxes in open meadows. In 2006, there were 12 House Wren nests in nest boxes; 5 were successful. In 2008, there were 4 House Wren nests in nest boxes; 1 was successful.

More Information:

Image sources:
Degraaf, R.M. et al. 1991. Forest and rangeland birds of the United States. Natural history and habitat use. Agriculture Handbook 688. 
Fox, Vanessa. Biology Department, DePauw University.

Photos: