House Wren

Brown overall with darker barring on the wings, tail, and flanks. A faint pale eyebrow stripe is often visible. Sexes look alike; juveniles are slightly duller and more uniform in color.

Small size, plain brown plumage with darker barring on wings and tail, often cocked straight up, and lack of a strong eyebrow stripe.

Length: 11-13 cm, Wingspan: 15 cm, Weight: 10-12 g

A loud, bubbling, cascading series of musical trills and rattles delivered with great enthusiasm.

Insects and spiders, caught by foraging methodically through low vegetation and crevices.

Open woodlands, forest edges, suburban gardens, parks, and farmlands with an abundance of brush and cavities.

Northern populations are migratory, spending winters in the southern United States and Central America; southern populations are largely resident.

Builds a messy twig nest inside tree cavities, birdhouses, or crevices. Clutch size ranges from 5 to 8 eggs. Breeding pairs are fiercely territorial.

Winter Wren (smaller, shorter tail, darker overall) and Carolina Wren (larger, with a more pronounced white eyebrow stripe and warmer reddish-brown plumage).

Acts as a natural pest controller by consuming large numbers of insects, and sometimes damages the eggs of competing cavity-nesting bird species.

Least Concern, with stable or increasing populations.

Look near human habitations, gardens, and forest edges, especially around nest boxes or brush piles. Listening for its loud, cascading song is often the best way to locate it.

House wrens are notorious for puncturing the eggs of other birds nesting near their territory to eliminate competition for food and space.