Thryothorus ludovicianus

Carolina Wren – Thryothorus lodovicianus

The Carolina Wren is a little bird with a great big voice.   Once you learn their calls, they are distinctive and unmistakable.  The Carolina Wren’s  profile is also unmistakable: a small, stocky, cinnamon-colored body with an upward-cocked tail.  They move around a lot and for this reason can be hard to see.

Even though the Carolina Wren is a small bird, it’s the second largest wren in the United States after the Cactus Wren.   They are with us all year and will only disperse beyond their range after mild winters. [1]

Carolina Wren

In urban areas, they scoot around in the understory moving up and down trees looking for insects and berries.   They love wood piles, garages and areas that are loaded with vines and bushes. [3]

Carolina Wrens will nest anywhere: in thick shrubbery, inside a garage if the door is left open, and even in cavities and exposed ducts in  the sides of houses.  If you leave your boots outside for a few days in the spring, don’t be surprised to find that a Carolina Wren has built a nest in them.

Both males and females use calls in alarm situations, especially in territorial disputes and encounters with predators.  Males alone produce the cheer call while the females are the only ones that can perform the paired dit-dit or chatter sound. [1]

Carolina Wrens mate for life. [3]

References and Additional Information

[1] Wikipedia: Carolina Wren
[2] The Sibley Guide to Birds, second edition – David Allen Sibley
[3] Cornell – All About Birds: Carolina Wren
[4] Cornell – All About Birds: Carolina Wren – sound
[5] The Breeding Bird Atlas of Georgia – UGA Press: Schneider, Beaton, Keyes and Klaus, Eds.