Creature Feature
Bewick's Wren
by Gary Winans
Summer is here! In my backyard, I hear white-crowned sparrows, house finches and, one of my favorites, Bewick’s wrens. Bewick's Wren - B&W Sketch
Bewick’s wrens are small, brownish birds, 4 to 5 inches in length (that means
from the tip of its bill to the tip of its tail) that are energetic and
inquisitive and are really cool!
Bewick’s wrens are chocolate brown on the back and light colored on the belly. Their distinctive, white-edged tail, held upright like other wrens, is not infrequently wagged from side to side when you see it poking around in the bushes. One of the most distinguishing features of this bird though is its white eye band. To me, the white eye band , gives it a sort of secret, mysterious look as it moves quickly from branch to branch and then is gone.
Frequently, you won’t see a Bewick’s wren but you’ll hear it. Their song is clear and liquid and consists of a series of clear introductory whistles followed by a falling series of trills.
Once you’ve seen a Bewick’s wren perched on the tip of a branch or on a fence post, singing, announcing its territory or its love for another (two reasons birds sing), you won’t forget it. You may also find one in the underbrush by its high-pitched chick, chick notes or perhaps a throatier set of kut, hut, hut. In more than one case, I’ve seen them use these notes to scold a cat getting too close for comfort.
Bewick’s wrens are insectivores—which means they eat insects. They also eat spiders. They forage for dinner in the foliage and bark of trees and shrubs and around garden plants. One of my chores as a child was to weed the strawberry patch in the early summer. It was a hot, dirty job, but I was never alone. Wrens residing in a bird house next to the garden would flit in and out of the patch alongside me, gleaning little insects and grubs to take back to their newborns. We were a good team in the garden.
One more cool thing about Bewick’s wrens: they are inquisitive. Stand alongside a pine or lilac stand where you’ve seen or heard Bewick’s wrens and make little noises like phish, phish or chef, chet with your mouth and hands. If you are lucky, the inquisitive Bewick’s wren will emerge to check you out, if only for a moment.
Did I say Mat Bewick’s wrens use bird boxes? Yes, they do. They naturally nest in holes and crannies in limbs and snags but will occupy a bird box if they find it to their liking and rear a brood or two in the spring and early summer.
This is an exciting time of year for birdwatching. I hope you can become acquainted with the energy and refreshing song of the Bewick’s wren.