House Wren

House Wrens are tiny but energetic birds known for their bubbly songs. They prefer insects but often explore backyard feeders offering suet or mealworms.

House Wrens are almost entirely insectivorous — spiders, beetles, caterpillars, and grasshoppers make up the bulk of their diet. They don't eat seed from feeders in the traditional sense, but they will visit suet feeders for the high-fat insect substitute, especially during cool spring and fall days. Offering insect-based suet crumbles on a platform feeder near dense brush is your best chance at feeding them directly.

House Wrens rarely visit seed feeders, so standard tubes and hoppers won't attract them. A suet cage near dense shrubs or a small platform feeder with Bird Grub suet crumbles placed close to brush piles or tangled vegetation is the winning setup. They're curious and bold — if you hear their explosive, bubbling song from a nearby thicket, a suet cage placed at the edge of that cover has a good chance of getting visited.

The fastest way to attract House Wrens is to put up a nest box — they're enthusiastic cavity nesters that will move into a box within days of arrival in spring. Use a box with a 2.5cm (1-inch) entrance hole mounted 1.5-2 metres high on a post or tree near dense shrubs. Wrens are famous for filling every available cavity with sticks, even boxes they don't use, so putting up two or three boxes increases your chances. Dense brush piles, tangled vines, and overgrown garden edges provide the insect-rich foraging habitat they need. Avoid pesticides — wrens consume enormous quantities of garden pest insects.