Get Ready for Wrens! Copyright Ann Cook Some of our favorite signs of spring, like robins and the first frogs, appear while the snow is still flying. But one of the most cheerful signs of spring waits until it really IS spring. House Wrens feed on crawling, hopping, and flying insects. Their bodies are tiny--they weigh less than two nickels--and since they're warm-blooded, they must have enough food to maintain their body temperature. So they can't risk arriving in the north before they are guaranteed of enough insects to eat. House Wrens haven't arrived in many North American places yet. Even if you can't go out and look or listen for them yet, you can plan for their arrival by building and setting out wren houses. Build a Wren House! Learning about Wrens Wrens are tiny and drab, but when they're around, they're easy to find--because they sing loud and clear. House Wrens are found throughout much of the US and southern Canada. They are likely to sing just about anywhere. Winter Wrens can be found in all but the extreme north during migration, but virtually never sing until they reach their breeding grounds. Carolina Wrens are usually found only in the southeastern states, but their loud, cheerful song can also be heard in the background of a lot of movies and TV shows. To learn about wrens and to hear their songs, see Recognizing Wrens Journey North Wren Facts   Carolina Wren at Feeder Copyright 2002 by Katherine S. Wolfthal Fun with Wrens Journey North's own Elizabeth Howard had a lot of fun videotaping the wrens in her yard, and making observations which she recorded in her field notebook. Watch the videos here: House Wren Videos For being such tiny birds, wrens are inquisitive and feisty, and make fascinating subjects for study. If you know of a birdhouse or feeder with wrens coming regularly, you can do some interesting research projects on them. One day Elizabeth watched her wrens for 30 minutes, and recorded the time in her field notebook whenever one of the parents returned with food. Study her data here: Feeding Activity Then open your journals and see if you can answer this question: Try This! Journaling Question What are two different reasons why the number of feeding trips increases sharply when the babies are about a week old? Discussion of Journaling Question Copyright 2004 Journey North. All Rights Reserved. Please send all questions, comments, and suggestions to our feedback form