The song of this big wren has given it the common name, “Teakettle Bird.” It is not so friendly as the House Wren, and often prefers the woodlands along streams to the towns. Yet I have known it to nest in nooks in sheds and barns, and even in boxes which had been piled at the edge of a dump-heap.
Carolina Wren
Bewick’s Wren
BEWICK’S WREN
Thryomanes bewickii bewickii (Audubon)
Description.—Dark gray-brown above, with whitish line over eye; wings and tail barred with black; outer tail-feathers broadly tipped with gray; underparts grayish; flanks brownish. Length: 5 inches.
Range in Pennsylvania.—A rare, irregular, and local summer resident in southern, central, and southwestern counties, where it occurs in sections in which the House Wren is not found, from early April to October, and perhaps occasionally in winter.
Nest.—Built under or about buildings, often near the ground, of leaves, grasses, weed-stalks, and similar materials, lined with finer materials. Eggs: 4 to 6, white, thinly spotted and often wreathed with reddish brown.
This little-known bird is all too rare. It likes the dwellings of man and in some localities is a familiar bird.
HOUSE WREN
Troglodytes aëdon aëdon Vieillot
Other Name.—Jenny Wren.
Description.—Smaller than English Sparrow; tail usually held erect. Brownish gray, brightest on rump and tail, the wings and tail finely barred with black; underparts grayish; sides, flanks, and under tail-coverts barred with blackish. Length: 5 inches.
Range in Pennsylvania.—Abundant migrant and summer resident from mid-April to latter September; commonest near the habitations of man, as a rule.
Nest.—A bulky mass of twigs, lined with feathers, generally filling the cavity in tree, bird-box, or crevice where the structure is placed. Eggs: 5 to 9, pinkish white, finely spotted and wreathed with reddish brown. Nests are often built in very odd situations, such as the pockets of overalls which have been hung in old sheds.
The House Wren is destined to be popular because he nests in bird-boxes, even though they be poorly constructed and improperly placed. So intent is he upon rearing a brood that he builds in almost any sort of crevice, and so fond of gathering and hoarding twigs is he that he fills cavities just for amusement. Such a “fake” nest, which I examined, held three nails, two hairpins, a safety-pin, a dozen matches (which were partly burned), and innumerable twigs!
