Birds › Backyard › Carolina Wren

Carolina Wren

Thryothorus ludovicianus

A male may sing his loud "teakettle-teakettle" song nearly 3,000 times in a single day.

In your real yard: Suet and mealworms, and a brush pile for cover.

Spot it in the game

Lives in the Backyard habitat (Eastern North America).

Carolina Wren, Thryothorus ludovicianus — Photo: iNaturalist user, CC0, via iNaturalist. Cut out from the original photo.

Carolina Wren facts

Family: Wrens
Length: 5.1 in (13 cm)
Wingspan: 11 in (29 cm)
Weight: 0.7 oz (20 g)
Diet: Insects and spiders, plus a few seeds and berries.
Range: Southeastern and central United States, slowly spreading north, and northeastern Mexico.
Nest: A domed nest in almost any nook: tree holes, mailboxes, flowerpots, even old boots.
Song: A very loud, rolling "teakettle-teakettle-teakettle".
Active: by day
Status: Least Concern on the IUCN Red List: widespread and not at risk.

What the Carolina Wren sounds like

Recording 1: steve, CC BY-SA 4.0, original on xeno-canto. Trimmed and cleaned of low background noise.

Recording 2: Matthias Sirch, CC BY-SA 4.0, original on xeno-canto. Trimmed and cleaned of low background noise.

How to attract the Carolina Wren

Feeder foods, favorite first: suet, mealworms, peanuts. Feeders that hold them: suet cage, platform feeder and tube feeder. Keep a bird bath full, too.

In the game: fill a feeder with suet, mealworms and peanuts and keep the bird bath full. It is an uncommon visitor, so be patient.

More: bird songs and calls, what to feed birds.