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How to Attract Wrens

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how to attract wrens

There are many reasons why backyard birders like to attract wrens. Apart from their appetites, they are curious by nature and can give you bold songs. These birds are also very friendly, making them excellent visitors in the backyard.

But how to attract wrens? You can do certain things in your backyard to attract these friendly birds to your home. We have listed these tips below for any backyard birders to attract wrens in their place.

Contents

Setting Up a Birdbath Made for Wren

Just like other birds, these friendly birds are also attracted to water which means setting up a birdbath that fits them can make them attracted in your backyard. A ground bird bath or a pedestal birdbath can work well for these birds.

But the most important thing is the birdbath must be shallow to ensure that it can accommodate the bird’s natural short legs. An ideal bird bath bowl for the wren must have a base of around 16 to 20 inches wide and 4 to 16 inches high.

If you have a secluded pond in the backyard, there is also a great chance that a birdbath will be attracted to your home. When the season gets too cold, you can still attract these beautiful birds by using a heated birdbath in your garden.

Feed Them with Insects and Variety of Bird Seeds

If you want to learn how to attract wrens to the backyard, providing them directly or indirectly with the food they like is necessary. These friendly birds like to devour insects but can also eat bird seeds during the colder months.

Insects:

In general, wrens are insectivorous, which means they like to eat insects such as spiders, caterpillars, beetles, flies, and other similar insects. For you to have these insects available, you need to set up a lush garden that will attract these types of insects.

Having trees and shrubs in your place will also provide an excellent hunting ground for these birds. Also, it is better to use natural methods of controlling insects in your home instead of using insecticides for these birds to be attracted to your place.

Bird Seeds

These birds are not fun visiting bird feeders but can still show interest during the colder months. During the winter season, these birds will feed on a variety of seeds in their meals.

The seeds likely to attract wren are black oil sunflower seeds, nutmeats, and peanut hearts. For Carolina wrens, they like to devour suet and peanuts in their meal. A single peanut can provide a third of their daily metabolic needs.

Provide Them with Dense and Bushy Areas for Shelter

You can also attract wren if you can provide dense and bushy areas that will be perfect for their shelter. These birds like to stay in densely covered locations while staying low in the woods. Having dense and shrubby areas can make them stay in your place.

If you have small trees in the backyard, you can have the option to leave low branches behind for their protection. Setting up a bushy pile and a shrubby cover can make these birds feel safe, especially when they are not exposed.

How to Attract Wrens to a Birdhouse

how to attract wrens to a birdhouse

In general, wrens are very popular in nesting in unique locations. It is usual for them to use garage shelves and hang flower pots as their place for nesting. But they can also be interested in birdhouses that will fit their nesting needs.

Birdhouse Size Requirements

Some wren species will use a birdhouse that comes with an entrance hole that has a size of 1 to 2 inches in diameter. This size should be enough since these birds like to have a broader range of nesting materials that are large in size.

As for the entrance height of the birdhouse, it should be around 3 to 6 inches above the flooring. It is also necessary to have a more expansive floor space of approximately 4 inches since these birds can lay 3 to 8 eggs at once. This large size will also prevent overcrowding of the baby wren,

Also, a wren house must be 6 to 8 inches tall. This total height is needed to accommodate the birds for their comfort and safety in general. This size is big but not large enough to accommodate the much-larger birds.

In terms of design, a diamond-shaped birdhouse is perfect for the wren. Ensure that it also comes with wider sides to offer young birds some space to grow while also holding enough nesting materials.

Putting the Birdhouse in the Right Location

Another way to attract wren to a birdhouse is by putting it in the alright location. You can have the option to the center or at the border of your backyard. The height should be around 5 to 10 feet above the ground.

You can also put the birdhouse on a wall or post to provide stability. Although some wren species do not mind their houses swaying or hanging, the birdhouse must be stable. Also, installing near a porch or deck is fine since it’s okay for them to be near human activities. However, it is a must to keep them away from busy places.

Keep Multiple Birdhouses

If you want to attract wrens to birdhouses, keeping many of these nesting places can also help lure them. Male wrens usually visit first to look for a nesting place. The male wren can choose 12 different locations simultaneously, which means keeping multiple birdhouses is perfect.

As for the female wren, she will choose the best one she likes the most. So, it is necessary to keep multiple birdhouses in the backyard to increase the chance of attracting the wrens to nest in the birdhouse.

Conclusion

Learning how to attract wrens is a must if you want to visit these friendly birds in your home. There are many ways to do so, but the most important thing is providing them with food, water, and shelter.

Providing birdhouses in the backyard built for them can also help them nest in your place. Using a birdhouse that fits their requirements is vital to attract them to the birdhouse. Keeping multiple birdhouses is also one way to lure them to stay in your backyard.

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