HOUSE WREN
721. Troglodytes ædon. 4¾ inches
Above brownish with tail and wings barred; below dull grayish, barred on the flanks with brown.
These are bold, sociable and confiding birds, seeming to prefer men’s society, building their nests in bird boxes that are erected for them, or in the most unexpected situations about buildings. They are one of the most beneficial birds that can be attracted to one’s yard, feeding wholly upon insects.
Song.—Loud, clear and bubbling over with enthusiasm.
Nest.—Of grass or weeds, stuffed into any crevice that takes their fancy, frequently in bird boxes and holes in orchard trees; eggs white, so minutely and thickly dotted with pinkish brown as to nearly conceal the ground color (.64 × .52).
Range.—Eastern N. A., breeding north to Maine and Manitoba; winters along the Gulf coast. 721b. Western House Wren (aztecus) is found from the Plains to the Pacific Coast ranges.
