How to Attract Carolina Wrens to Your Backyard
Carolina wrens are tiny, rusty brown birds with a bold white eyebrow and a voice far bigger than they are. Pairs stay together all year in the East and South, and they're happy to move into a busy backyard.
What Carolina wrens eat
Wrens eat mostly insects and spiders. At feeders, they go for suet, mealworms, and peanut pieces rather than whole seeds.
Suet is especially important in winter, when insects are scarce. Hard winters are tough on Carolina wrens, and a reliable suet feeder helps them through.
High-fat suet cakes that fit standard suet cages. Woodpeckers, nuthatches, and chickadees rely on fat like this to get through cold nights.
Check price on Amazon for C&S High Energy Suet Cakes (12-pack) (opens Amazon)The way to a bluebird's heart. Dried mealworms also bring in wrens, robins, and chickadees, especially in spring when they're feeding young.
Check price on Amazon for Kaytee Wild Bird Dried Mealworms (opens Amazon)Give them places to hide
Wrens like to stay low and close to cover. Brush piles, dense shrubs, woodpiles, and tangles of vines give them places to hunt and hide.
Nesting spots
Carolina wrens nest in all kinds of odd places: hanging planters, mailboxes, old boots, and open sheds. They'll also use a nest box with an entrance hole of about 1 to 1 1/2 inches.
Put the box in a sheltered spot, 5 to 10 feet up, near shrubs. Wrens may build several nests and choose one.
Feeder tips
Hang a suet feeder close to shrubs or a tree trunk. Wrens are shy about crossing open lawns, so feeders near cover get more visits.
Woodpeckers, nuthatches, and chickadees happily hang upside down to eat. Starlings and grackles mostly don't, so the suet goes to the birds you want.
Check price on Amazon for Birds Choice Upside-Down Suet Feeder (opens Amazon)Frequently asked questions
Where do Carolina wrens live?
Year-round across the eastern and central US, from the Gulf Coast north to southern New England and the Great Lakes.
Why is a Carolina wren so loud?
The male sings a loud “teakettle, teakettle, teakettle” to defend his territory all year, even in winter.
Do Carolina wrens eat seed?
Not much. Suet, mealworms, and peanut pieces work much better than seed mixes.
Not sure which feeder fits your yard?
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