Northern House Wren singing (photo by Arlene Koziol)
I absolutely love it when a teeny-tiny bird can blast out a song completely out of proportion with their size. The Northern House Wren is the best example of that I can think of. It’s very small — 5” in length maximum from tip of beak to tip of tail, definitely small enough to sit in the palm of your hand if it were inclined to do so. It is brown, with oodles of very thin, horizontal brown bars running across its body, wings, and tail.
The Northern House Wren is an excited little bird, seemingly constantly on the move and singing frequently their big, cheerful song. They are happy in backyards and will nest readily in nest boxes, so are a common one for backyard birders to hear and see. They primarily eat insects and spiders, so backyards with lots of great native plant habitat will be a wonderful place for these wrens to hang out.
Northern House Wren (photo by Jim Judgins/USFWS)
Song:
In a Birding by Ear class that we and the Wisconsin Council of the Blind and Visually Impaired hosted years ago, someone described the song of the Northern House Wren as similar to the sound of a cassette tape being rewound. Ha! What a perfect description of it, though you’d need to be at least in your upper 30s for that reference to register!
In spring and early summer, these birds sing frequently — and early in the morning — so you are very likely to hear them. Enjoy the energetic song of the Northern House Wren!
Call:
Cornell’s AllAboutBirds describes the Northern House Wren’s calls perfectly: “Northern House Wrens make a variety of harsh sounds: churrs, chatters, rattles, and scolds, often in response to large animals that might be predators. For this reason, they can often be coaxed into view with squeaks or pishing sounds.”
Who’s That Singing? is a series designed for Birding by Ear class participants but available to anyone interested in learning more!
Written by Brenna Marsicek, Southern Wisconsin Bird Alliance director of outreach
