House Wren
House Wren
(Troglodytes aedon)
House Wren
Photo © Sharon Beals, from the collection of the California Academy of Sciences
House Wren nest
Photo © René Corado
House Wren eggs
Photo © René Corado
Adult (Northern)
Photo © Andy Witchger / Macaulay Library
Adult (Brown-throated)
Photo © Ed Corey / Macaulay Library
Adult (Northern)
Photo © Blair Dudeck / Macaulay Library
Adult (Northern)
Photo © Evan Lipton / Macaulay Library
Adult (Northern)
Photo © Ceredig Roberts / Macaulay Library
Adult (Northern)
Photo © Larry Van Brunt / Macaulay Library
Habitat (Northern)
Photo © Court Harding / Macaulay Library
Song (Northern)
© Brad Walker / Macaulay Library
Song (Northern)
© Wil Hershberger / Macaulay Library
Song (Northern)
© Randolph Little / Macaulay Library
Song (Northern)
© Mike Andersen / Macaulay Library
Song (Northern)
© William Evans / Macaulay Library
Song (Northern)
© Jay McGowan / Macaulay Library
Female song (Northern)
© Randolph Little / Macaulay Library
Calls (Northern)
© Jay McGowan / Macaulay Library
Calls (Northern)
© Wil Hershberger / Macaulay Library
Calls (Northern)
© Bob McGuire / Macaulay Library
Calls (Northern)
© Jay McGowan / Macaulay Library
Calls (Northern)
© Jay McGowan / Macaulay Library
Calls (Northern)
© Thomas G. Sander / Macaulay Library
Song (Brown-throated)
© Andrew Spencer / Macaulay Library
Song (Brown-throated)
© Andrew Spencer / Macaulay Library
Song (Brown-throated)
© James L. Gulledge / Macaulay Library
Song (Brown-throated)
© Jay McGowan / Macaulay Library
Calls (Brown-throated)
© William W. H. Gunn / Macaulay Library
Calls (Brown-throated)
© Miguel Aguilar @birdnomad / Macaulay Library
Calls (Brown-throated)
© Andrew Spencer / Macaulay Library
Calls (Brown-throated)
© Geoffrey A. Keller / Macaulay Library
Where To Find It
Source: Birds of the World
Habitats
Substrates
What You'll Find
Nest Type
Chick
Clutch Size
Nest Height
Nesting Statistics
Incubation Period
days
Brooding Period
days
Useful Hints
- The House Wren song is long and complex, and both males and females sing.
- As the season progresses, House Wren nests can become infested with mites and other parasites that feed on the wren nestlings. Perhaps to fight this problem, wrens often add spider egg sacs into the materials they build their nests from. In lab studies, once the spiders hatched, they helped the wrens by devouring the nest parasites.
- The House Wren is a fierce competitor for nest holes. They will harass and peck at much larger birds, sometimes dragging eggs and young out of a nest site they want – even occasionally killing adult birds.