House wren

A small brown bird with a big voice, the house wren pours out a bubbling, rolling song from the top of a shrub or a fence post. It arrives in May and gets down to business at once, with the male stuffing every available cavity in his territory with sticks to build several nests for a mate to choose from.

House wrens will nest in nest boxes, old woodpecker holes, and even in flower pots and mailboxes. They are fierce defenders of their territory, sometimes destroying the eggs of other birds that nest nearby. They hunt insects and spiders in the low brush, with their tails cocked up. In fall, they head to the southern United States and Mexico.

Here are some of my favourite frames of this bird.

Photos

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