Measurements
Both Sexes
- Length
- 4.7–5.5 in
12–14 cm - Wingspan
- 11.4 in
29 cm - Weight
- 0.6–0.8 oz
18–22 g
Other Names
- Troglodyte de Caroline (French)
- Saltapared carolinense (Spanish)
Cool Facts
- The Carolina Wren is sensitive to cold weather, with the northern populations decreasing markedly after severe winters. The gradually increasing winter temperatures over the last century may have been responsible for the northward range expansion seen in the mid-1900s.
- Unlike other wren species in its genus, only the male Carolina Wren sings the loud song. In other species, such as the Stripe-breasted Wren of Central America, both members of a pair sing together. The male and female sing different parts, and usually interweave their songs such that they sound like a single bird singing.
- One captive male Carolina Wren sang nearly 3,000 times in a single day.
- A pair bond may form between a male and a female at any time of the year, and the pair will stay together for life. Members of a pair stay together on their territory year-round, and forage and move around the territory together.
Habitat
Open Woodland
Found in a wide range of habitats, from swamps to forest to residential area. Requires moderately dense shrub or brushy cover.
Food
Insects
Insects and spiders.
Nesting
Nesting Facts
- Clutch Size
- 3–7 eggs
- Egg Description
- Color: Creamy white with fine brown spots.
Size: 18.2-19.8 mm x 13.9-15.5 mm.
(0.72-0.78 in x 0.55-0.61 in)
Incubation period: 12-16 days. - Condition at Hatching
- Helpless with some pale gray down.
Chicks fledge in 12-14 days.
Nest Description
Nest a domed cup with a side entrance. Nest bulky and made of bark strips, dried grasses, dead leaves, hair, feathers, paper, plastic, or string. Placed in tree cavity, vine tangle, dense branches, or artificial site such as a mailbox, up to 10 feet above ground, rarely higher.
Nest Placement
Cavity
© 2004 Cornell Lab of Ornithology
© 2004 Cornell Lab of Ornithology
Behavior
Ground Forager
Gleans insects from ground, tree trunks, and branches. Probes into cracks. Turns over vegetation with its bill. Dismembers large insects by hammering with its bill and shaking it until small pieces break off.
Conservation
Least Concern
Abundant; populations stable or increasing. Significant range expansion in early 1900s.
Credits
- Haggerty, T. M., and E. S. Morton. 1995. Carolina Wren (Thryothorus ludovicianus). In The Birds of North America, No. 188 (A. Poole and F. Gill, eds.). The Academy of Natural Sciences, Philadelphia, PA, and The American Ornithologists' Union, Washington, D.C.