When I first saw one of these birds at a glance, I thought it was an Indigo Bunting.  Further inspection showed me this bird is larger than a bunting, and in addition to his glorious royal blue coloring, he has some striking chestnut brown markings.  This is not the type of bird one just sits and watches fly by, at least not if you're a wildlife photographer like myself.  The coloring is so striking, I have followed one around the neighborhood or the forest many times, in an attempt to get that elusive photo.  His colors are royal and mesmerizing, and his song is a rich melody he'll sing for 2-3 seconds at a time.  In fact, I've often spotted them first by hearing their song, and then scanning the area until I spot one.

The females are a rich cinnamon brown color, which compliments the male's coloring beautifully.    These are migrating birds, so they're not in my area full time.  They love the edges of the forests here, and often hang out around areas with lots of shrubs and vines.  I've also spotted them many times near creek areas.  

They eat a lot of insects, which is why they're abundant inside the tree lines.  They also like to eat a variety of grains, and will often be spotted at feeders containing the grains they prefer.  They feed their young insects, but only after removing the head, wings and most of the legs.

The population of this beautiful bird is widespread across the south, with their numbers increasing slightly every year.  I wish we had more of them here, and for a longer time, as they are such lovely creatures with the striking color combination and they are an unobtrusive bird, often sitting at high points in trees, simply singing their lovely song.  It's thrilling for me to be scanning a tree line, filled with green, green and more green, and then to discover this brilliantly colored bird sitting in the midst of it, singing.  I call it a wonderful surprise from nature. :) 

Some may find this adorable little bird annoying.  After all, they build nests everywhere, and usually in places you don't want them to.  Unless you provide them nest boxes, of course.  In addition to them building nests in the holes of some of the nearby trees, they have also built nests in boxes laying around the garage, an old pair of shoes you leave sitting outside, the engine of a deserted vehicle, an unused mailbox, inside the outdoor grill, and even the wreath on a front door!

These little birds only weigh as much as a couple of coins, but they are fierce.  They will actively defend their nesting site, and I've seen them even steal a nest box from a pair of my bluebirds.  It's just amazing to me how something so small can be so tough!  They kind of remind me of myself {the short person who was always bullied and picked on and I grew up with an attitude that will make a six foot plus man back down - just ask my husband!}.

The voice of the house wren is vivacious and lively, with their songs filling the backyard and surrounding areas as if they're on loud speaker and performing a huge concert.  Their songs are really pretty, too - I love sitting on my porch and listening to them serenade each other.  The incessant chatter they do when they're upset alerts me to the presence of a predator, whether it be the nearby nesting hawk or one of my cats in the yard.

One thing I love about these little birds is their spider-snatching abilities.  I'm not a fan of spiders, and as far as I'm concerned, they can grab them all up!  Not only do they eat them and feed them to their babies, but they use the spider egg sacks to put inside nests.  I know, it sounds gross and creepy, but there is a purpose to this madness:  when the baby spiders hatch, they eat the parasites which may be hanging around in the nest.  And then, the wrens eat the spiders.  Sounds like a win-win to me! :)

The house wren is often referred to as a "plain brown bird", but in my opinion, they are anything BUT "plain".  Their personality is fun and commanding, their songs are intense and melodic, and if you really study them, you'll see some sprays of fun golden and warm orange colors in their feathers. That's what I tried to pull into my painting "Soul Searching", a portrait of one of the little wrens nesting on my porch.  Because they're super fast, many times people miss seeing the pretty colors they possess.  

I call them my little TINY BUT MIGHTY birds.  They don't waste time with anything they do, and they stay busy throughout the day.  This isn't a bird I normally see perched and sleeping.  I've seen them raise up to three broods of chicks each year, and they don't waste time with that, either.  Chicks usually hatch within 10-15 days from egg laying here, and the chicks are grown and ready to fledge out of the nest box by around 14 days.  That's two weeks.  Oh how nice it would be to raise the kids and send them out into the world in just two weeks!  So, if you're watching a pair and you take a day off, just be advised you may miss something critical.  I missed a fledging last year - literally four babies fledged out one morning before I finished my first cup of coffee and went outside.  Sigh.

So tell me, do you notice the house wrens where you live?  Have you found them nesting in unusual places?  Do you find them fun and cute, or do they annoy you?