Wrens - territorial insect-eaters help garden

By Stephanie Hughes

OSU Ext. master gardener volunteer

For years, we have tried to attract the elusive house wren (Troglodytes aedon) to our yard.

My husband built cedar houses with just the right-sized hole to keep out sparrows and allow these wonderful little birds to breed in our yard.

This year, not only did we have one nest here, but she brought her young to our porch and house to hunt for insects, spiders and other tasty treats.

They are ravenous insect consumers, ridding us of some bad insects (and unfortunately some good spiders).

They love to poke around and climb on things to find their food.

As winter set in, we noticed that some of the wrens did not get the memo about migrating south to warmer climates, and stayed right here. So we try to care for them to continue their insect-eating. Right now, they visit our suet feeder daily for their energy fix. What a delight.

And they still hunt the porch, windows and crevices for goodies.

They are small birds – about 4 inches long – and are reddish brown with fine lines on the wings and tail.

They are so associated with humans in that they are a cliche for gardening. They are commonly found hopping around in yards with shrubs, open areas with thickets, hunting and singing with a beautiful booming voice.

Their distinctive feature is the way they hold their tail upright in a “V” formation.

Wrens are very adaptable to nest boxes and once they have built their nests and laid their eggs, they are so territorial and aggressive they will break other birds’ eggs and fill their nests with sticks so the nests cannot be used.

They eat insects and many caterpillars and grubs.

This is the time of year to get those wren houses built so they can be set out this spring. You can find many plans online or through Ohio Department of Natural Resources.

Do not use treated wood; use cedar, which is a natural preserving wood.

The unwanted house sparrow is known to chew around the bird house opening to make it big enough for them to enter and use for nesting. The chewing can be prevented by purchasing a sparrow excluder – a metal piece that you can attach to your birdhouses.

To see photos and learn more about these wonderful birds, go to http://go.osu.edu/wren.