Attracting Carolina Wrens
The Carolina wren is an adaptable dweller of forest lands, urban gardens, swamps, farms, and tree filled human areas. We often see them in our backyards as well as hear their lusty songs in the neighborhood. It is one of nine species of wrens that occur in North America. The male and female Carolina Wren look alike with the male being slightly larger. Range: Primarily the southeastern United states north to central parts of Wisconsin, Michigan, New York and southern New England Diet: Carnivore - Various insects, spiders and occasionally small frogs. They will readily visit backyard bird feeders. 
Habitat: Woodland thickets, brush, urban gardens with shrubbery. Average Lifespan: in the wild 6 years Size: 12-14 cm (5-6 in) Wingspan: 29 cm (11 in) Weight: 18-22 g (0.64-0.78 ounces) Nesting: 4-5 brown spotted whitish eggs. Nest is a domed and made of sticks with a feather lining. They will nest in hollow stumps, stone walls, thickets, and other small crevices. These birds are small but very vocal and have one of the loudest songs per volume. Anyone who has been around these little birds know that they are willing to burst into song anytime, anywhere. They differ from other wren species due to the fact that only the male Carolina Wren sings the their loud song. Carolina wrens are usually found in pairs, with each pair staying within it’s home territory throughout the year. The Carolina Wren is sensitive to cold weather, and those within the northern ranges of their territory see a decrease in population after a severe winter. They do not migrate. Their range has expanded northward during the nineteenth century and this is thought to be due to gradually increasing winter temperatures. They eat insects and spiders, for the most part, either on or near the ground in areas close to moderate and heavy undergrowth. They are abundant in the Eastern states and a desirable bird in your garden - their loud, spontaneous bursting into song is a joy and they are characters who get into everything. Carolina Wrens are abundant and live easily in a backyard habitat. While they seem to be around and very busy, they may or may not actually often eat at feeders but simply dive in when they choose, take a morsel and go about their foraging way. They are very attracted to water, so include a bird bath in your birding habitat. Our little Carolina wrens are partial to a small dust bath we have which has wood ash in it. Plants: Bushy Shrubs for nesting and hunting. 
Feeder: Carolina Wrens eat insects and spiders, for the most part, and tend to forage the ground near or under bushy shrubbery. The can be attracted to suet and prefer it over any food we have at our backyard feeding stations. Our experience has been that one of their favorite treats is shelled peanuts and we see them far more on our open platform feeders, cling style suet or cling to, mesh or wire nut feeders than we see them on bird feeders with perches or tube styles. We rarely see them eat sunflower seed, their preference seems to be peanuts and suet, but we have heard others who do attract wrens with black oil sunflower seed. This is our personal experience only. Wrens, being wrens, will do whatever they dang well please. The little wren in the above photo is on one of our bird feeders. It is a double tail prop suet feeder such as this: Of course the tiny wren does not require a suet feeder this large, but it is a good size for the bigger woodpeckers. You can shop for a large selection of suet feeders at: Suet Wild Bird Feeders. The wren is feeding on a berry suet dough. Since it is summer here, er have out no-melt dough. They have shown us a preference for suets with fruit, raisins or peanuts in it. You can shop for several flavors at: Suet and No Melt Dough Bird Food. Wren Bird Houses 
Bird House: For a Carolina Wren bird house, use the height above ground: 5-10″. Nests are dome shaped with a side entrance and built from bark strips, dried grasses, dead leaves, sticks, pine needles, mosses, feathers, straw, shed snake skin, paper and string. Nests are then lined with hair or fur. They are not often more than 12 feet above the ground. Providing wrens with nesting materials is great fun, so if you have wrens, try adding some of their preferred materials during breeding season to your yard to encourage them to stay. A Carolina wren will readily use a bird house to nest. They will also readily use your hanging plants, mailbox, a tin can, sheds, potted plants, garage if you leave the door open, your pocket if you stand still too long, or anything else they feel like exploring. We have chased them out of our grill and from under the covers of large propane tanks, and other unsafe places for them to build houses. We have found Carolina wrens nesting in thickets on the ground. They are known to build multiple nests in order to confuse predators, and each year we consider it officially spring when we have to start explaining to the wrens that it would be very kind of them to make use of the special wren boxes we have provided instead of our garage. Providing a house for the wrens helps them nest in safer areas. Our favorite wren bird house is not fancy, but in our opinion the best. It’s well suited for them and provides drainage, ventilation as well as natural coloring so the bird house isn’t bright and visible to predators. We have had them nest in our yard in this box. Shop for Wren bird houses at Wren Bird Houses. Summary: Attract Carolina Wrens with shrubby hedges, suet, water, nesting materials and bird houses.
November 10th, 2008 at 11:04 am
I have a pair of carolina wrens that have taken to sleeping in the draped fold of the screens on my backyard cabana. it’s a large patio screen house with curtain like screens that can be tied back, each night after dark they settle into one of the folds of the draped screen to sleep then leave in the morning when the sun comes up. At first they only came on rainy nights but now they bunk there every night. I live in a wooded area of southern NJ and will have to take down the screens and canvas cover shortly for winter, I was considering putting up a wren house so they don’t leave. If they would even take to it. The woods along with my feeders attract many different types of birds year round. I sometimes sit and just watch and listen for hours, especially in the summer and fall.