Carolina Wren: a two-minute wildlife lesson

Songbirds of the Americas · day 6 of 7

Five facts

1. Its loud song is often written as 'teakettle-teakettle-teakettle'. Only the males sing, and they do it all year round.
2. It nests in the oddest places: mailboxes, tin cans, the pocket of a jacket hanging in a shed, even a tractor still in daily use.
3. It can tell how far away a rival is by how blurred its song sounds. A muffled song is ignored, a clear one gets attacked.
4. Couples usually stay together for life. Sleeping side by side keeps them warm and is thought to help keep the pair together.
5. A little acrobat, it can creep up bark, hang upside down like a nuthatch, and reach the top of a tree in one flapping bound.

The quiz

1. Which Carolina wrens sing the 'teakettle' song?

• Only the females
• Only the males (correct)
• Only the chicks
• Both males and females equally

Males alone sing, and they sing all year.

2. Which of these is a place where a Carolina wren nest has been found?

• Floating on a pond
• On a bare cliff top
• In the pocket of a hanging jacket (correct)
• Under the sand of a beach

Nests have turned up in jacket pockets in sheds, mailboxes, tin cans and even a tractor.

3. How does a Carolina wren react to a rival's song that sounds clear, not muffled?

• It attacks, because the rival is close (correct)
• It hides, because the rival is far
• It ignores it
• It flies off to another territory

A clear song means the intruder is near, so the wren responds by attacking.

4. What is thought to help Carolina wren couples stay together?

• Building a new nest every day
• Singing the same song together
• Living in a large flock
• Roosting together (correct)

Roosting together keeps them warm and is thought to strengthen the pair bond.

5. Which bird does the Carolina wren copy when it hangs upside down?

• A penguin
• An ostrich
• A nuthatch (correct)
• A swan

It can crawl like a creeper and hang upside down like a nuthatch.

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