Beak of the Week - Carolina Wren

Carolina Wren (Thryothorus ludovicianus)

Family: Troglodytidae

Our Beak of the Week is a favorite Houston resident, the Carolina Wren! Male and female Carolina Wrens look alike; both are reddish-brown above and warm buffy-orange below, with a long, slightly downcurved bill, a bold white eyebrow stripe, a rusty cheek, white throat, and a relatively long tail.

Carolina Wrens are common in Houston and the eastern part of Texas. They can be found in dense forest undergrowth, especially in shrubby tangles and thickets. They usually forage in pairs, creeping around vegetated areas and scooting up and down tree trunks in search of insects, spiders, and fruit. They will visit bird feeders for seed, peanuts, and suet.

Keeping a brush pile is a great way to attract Carolina Wrens to your yard. They eat predominantly insects and readily visit suet feeders. Often heard before they are seen, this small, shy bird produces a loud song. The adults live in pairs all year, and they may "duet" at any season, with the female giving a chattering note while the male sings ringing variations of tea-kettle-tea-kettle-tea kettle.

Males build nests in various locations to attract a mate. Once he has attracted a female, she usually proceeds to build her own nest, ignoring all his attempts. Sometimes Carolina Wrens use nest boxes, but they often prefer eave overhangs and more unusual spots, particularly hanging baskets. If a Carolina Wren nests in an inconvenient place, don't despair! From when the female lays her last egg it's only about 4 weeks until the babies leave the nest. Sit back and enjoy the family antics even if it is in your favorite gardening hat.

✏️ By Vicki Stittleburg and Berri Moffett

📸 Photos by Greg Lavaty

---

Visit our Bird Gallery to read about other Texas birds!

Comments

How to DIY a Dripper for birds

Are you running out of home projects to keep busy during the quarantine? Here’s one my hubby made for me that you can try: a DYI Dripper. I’ve long wanted a bird dripper to complement my yard’s wildlife habitat, and with spring migrants on the way, I was keen to provide a drip that will attract new birds that don’t visit feeders. I had a problem though. There is no water line or power source near my feeders. The idea of stringing a hose or wire across the driveway just isn’t practical. Enter the engineer. My husband thought about the location and the limitations for a bit, and came up with the concept of sourcing water for a dripper off the sprinkler system. By using a toilet tank that fills every time the sprinklers run, water can be constantly available for the drip. I nixed the idea of a toilet tank sitting in my yard though, so he made some aesthetic modifications by installing a toilet tank float inside a 5 gallon bucket hidden inside a custom wooden box with a handsome copper p

Beak of the Week - Yellow-crowned Night-Heron

Yellow-crowned Night-Heron ( Nyctanassa violacea ) Family: Ardeidae Our Beak of the Week is the official Bird of Houston , the Yellow-crowned Night-Heron! This seemingly hunch-backed bird can be a difficult one to spot. Both species of North American night-herons, yellow-crowned and black-crowned, forage mainly at night and spend most of the day hidden among branches near a body of water. These two birds can be differentiated easily by their plumage on and around their head. The most obvious difference is stated in their names: Yellow-crowned Night-Herons have a yellow crown and Black-crowned Night-Herons have a black crown. But that’s not the only difference! Yellow-crowned Night-Herons have a black head and face with a distinct thick white cheek stripe, whereas Black-crowned Night-Herons have a black head with gray on their face that extends down the whole front of the body. Yellow-crowned Night Herons also have a gray front and neck, but it contrasts greatly with their facial patter

Houston, we have an announcement. We’re now a Bird City!

We know that Houston is a vital city for birds, but now it’s official . Houston Audubon’s Conservation Team worked tirelessly in partnership with Houston Parks and Recreation Department (HPARD) Natural Resources Program to submit the application, and it paid off. Houston was honored as one of the first four cities to receive the Bird City Texas certification – an inaugural program by Audubon Texas and Texas Parks and Wildlife Department (TPWD). So, what exactly does being a Bird City mean? The big picture is that we have demonstrated that our community cares about birds, habitat, and conservation. The growing popularity of planting native plants, restoring prairies, bird-friendly education programs, and the Houston Lights Out for Birds program to reduce collisions for migrating birds were among the many efforts and programs that got us this designation. ( Go Houstonians! ) I personally witnessed the large amount of work that went into this application and was curious about

Houston Audublog

Search This Blog