Carolina Wren

Thryothorus ludovicianus

Tiny body, enormous voice, sings year-round even in January. Loudest cubic inch in the South.

Population: ~18-19 million mature individuals globally (Partners in Flight estimate, cited by Cornell All About Birds), population increasing since the 1960s
Habitat: Dense, brushy cover — forest understory and edges, riparian and bottomland woods, cypress swamps, overgrown farmland, and thickly vegetated suburban yards and gardens
Fun fact: The Carolina Wren's loud, ringing "teakettle-teakettle-teakettle" song is disproportionately powerful for its tiny body, audible up to a quarter mile away, and it is the state bird of South Carolina.
Range: Eastern United States (year-round resident), extending into extreme southern Ontario, Canada, and northeastern/southeastern Mexico into northern Central America; range has expanded northward in recent decades with milder winters
Diet: Primarily insects and spiders (caterpillars, moths, beetles, grasshoppers, crickets, leafhoppers, cockroaches, true bugs, katydids, ants, bees, wasps); occasionally small lizards, frogs, or snakes, plus small amounts of fruit and seeds (bayberry, sweetgum, poison ivy); visits suet feeders in winter
Size: 0.135 m
Wingspan: 0.29 m
Lifespan: 7 years

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