The Indomitable Wren

Watching one of the most fascinating of backyard birds

Discovery

I didn't always appreciate birds the way I do now. When I started watching them more closely, a particular bird really caught my attention. One day, near the back fence, an extremely loud call came from the hackberry tree above me. A couple of days later, I finally saw this improbably tiny bird bellowing the calls. With some research, I discovered it was a Carolina Wren. Amazing that such a huge sound could come from such a tiny body.

Different

Most birds in this area sing during mating season in the spring and summer. Calls are territorial and for seeking mates. The wrens, however, are different. Although they also use their calls for those purposes, wrens sing all year long. Male wrens seem to call to a one another at a distance, using a large repertoire of songs. Countless times, I've heard the repeated call of a nearby wren, then an answering call from a distant wren. I suspect they communicate various things important to birds, like food sources and potential dangers.

This explains the need for such a high volume. As with many birds, wrens need to be heard over great distances. Of course, it doesn't take size to make big sounds, so the wrens developed what they needed in their tiny bodies.

After watching them for awhile, I learned to recognize the female wren as well. Males and females look similar enough that I can't distinguish them by sight, but their calls are another matter. The female wren makes rattling whirring noises, often before the male starts his calls. She stays nearer the ground in a perpetual search for insects, while he warbles from the trees.

The wrens have arrived

Wrens turned out to be one of the most captivating of my backyard residents. These creatures are fearless. I've heard chickadees called fearless, but those I've always seen high in the trees or hidden among the branches. Wrens, however, will fly through my covered patio while I'm sitting there. They fly close to predators like cats. My guess is that they are so fast they feel no danger from anything, assuming nothing can catch them. And they're probably right.

Now it's always a pleasure to hear that buzzy whirring sound herald the arrival of the wrens. They come to an area and stay for awhile, sometimes with several young ones. They have a lot of personality and seem to know exactly what they want to do and where. Nothing stands in their way! They will flit up and down a tall wooden fence, flutter around the shrubs and bushes, hang out with their mates, and their fearless nature leaves this all out in the open for an onlooker to watch.