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A wren perches on a branch in Little Swamp Sanctuary in western Midland County.

A fledgling wren spreads his wings in a begging posture to get food from an adult.

Wrens are little brown birds that can easily be distinguished from most other birds by observing their high energy, upright tail, loud chatter and bold behavior.

House wrens are spunky little birds about the size of a newly-hatched chicken. They once inhabited almost every backyard and garden, consuming insects and chattering away to inform the world of their importance.

House wrens have been known to nest in flower pots, old boots and hats left in the yard, abandoned paper wasp nests, and cow or deer skulls hung outside. At Little Swamp Sanctuary in western Midland County, most of this year's resident house wrens nest in natural tree cavities.  

These birds also like to use small nesting boxes – with a base of about 4x5 inches and an opening of 1 1/4 inches – for their homes. If a wren can put its head through the hole, it's big enough for the bird to squeeze in its whole body. A small entrance can protect these tiny garden birds from predators. But the entrance also needs to be big enough for young wrens to exit the box; fledglings are often bigger than the adults.

Nest boxes at Little Swamp Sanctuary have provided homes for generations of wren families. The wrens will pack the box with sticks and line the nest with soft feathers. As they tend to nest in the same box year after year, the boxes should be cleaned out annually, according to Barb and Joe Rogers, who operate Wildlife Recovery Association and Little Swamp Sanctuary. The boxes can also be taken down and painted inside and outside with a child-safe paint to further eliminate parasites and provide a clean nesting site in spring.

Barb has seen first-hand how demanding wrens can be for nesting materials once they become familiar with humans. One year, she was late in cleaning out a nest box and a mother wren didn't have enough room to lay her eggs. Before Barb knew it, the pocket of one of her husband's old work shirts that was hanging on the clothes line was filled with sticks – the beginnings of a wren's nest.

"Thinking ahead, I could imagine a rain storm that would drench the nest and nestlings or eggs, as the top was open to the elements, and that would be a disaster," Barb said. "So, we quickly installed another nest box and took down the shirt before the eggs were placed in the pocket. I learned my lesson: Listen to the wren."

Wren eggs are incubated by both the male and female and hatch quickly. Within a month after the eggs first appear, the young are fledging. Once the box is empty, the adult wrens may nest a second, even a third time. Older siblings sometimes care for the upcoming brood, bringing in insects.

"It is possible to find a group of 10 wrens, all from the same family," Barb said.

Wrens feed almost exclusively on insects. Their diet consists of grasshoppers, crickets, beetles, larvae of gypsy moth and of cabbage white butterfly, ants, bees, wasps, flies, aphids, spiders, millipedes and snails. They almost never consume seeds.

When gardeners use pesticides to rid a garden of bugs, wrens may not survive. If there is no food, there are no wrens. 

Despite their need for insects which are rapidly declining in population, house wrens are still common in Michigan. They migrate south for the winter, traveling to southern U.S. and Mexico.

Other species of wrens in Michigan include the Carolina wren, winter wren, marsh wren and sedge wren. In addition, the rock wren and Bewick's wren are considered accidentals, which means that they may only occasionally be seen in the region. 

Marsh wrens also reside at Little Swamp Sanctuary, but are far more secretive and extremely difficult to photograph. Marsh wrens tend to nest one to three feet above the ground in a cluster of cattails. They pull the cattails together, forming an enclosed nest by weaving an outer wall of water- soaked cattails and sedges, then lining the inside with grasses and rootlets. This nest can be as small as a softball or as large as a soccer ball. The center of the nest is finished with soft shredded plants and feathers. An opening is left at the side or top for an entrance.

The male marsh wren builds several “dummy” nests before and after the female builds her own, most likely to fool predators. These extra nests also serve as “rooms” in which the older siblings that have already fledged can hang out to hide and rest. These rare little birds are wary, are often difficult to find, and their nests blend in with the surroundings.

Barb and Joe Rogers were able to locate one marsh wren defending its territory this past spring, but being shy and wary of humans, they are difficult to photograph; they hide in the vegetation when they are aware of an intruder.  

Marsh wrens are listed as a bird of conservation concern, as they are declining in number due to loss of habitat, which is wetland and marsh. Barb explained that Michigan has lost over half of its historic wetlands, and therefore has lost many species that require wetland homes. Many species in sharp decline are those that feed primarily on insects – which are abundant in quality wetlands – and/or are ground nesters or cavity nesters in wetland areas.

According to a September 2019 publication by the research journal Science, the North American bird population has declined by 2.9 billion birds since 1970, equating to about a third of the country's bird population. A few species have increased in number, but habitat loss and fragmentation have decimated the populations of many wild bird species. These factors, along with the steep decline in the insect population, call for strong defense of birds throughout North America as well as a strong defense for wetlands.

"Wetland that is of a high quality, supporting a great diversity of species and a complete ecosystem, is rare," Barb said. "What small amount of high quality wetland that is left should be protected, and, in fact, is protected by the Michigan Environmental Protection Act, part 303, if it is followed. This law can provide some of the protection needed for our declining bird population."

Wildlife Recovery Association is a 501(c)3 charitable organization dedicated to education, rehabilitation and research to benefit wildlife, and management of a sanctuary to protect rare and sensitive species. To donate to help these magnificent animals, visit wildliferecovery.org or write to Wildlife Recovery Association, 531 S. Coleman Road, Shepherd, MI 48883.

Victoria Ritter grew up in Midland and after earning a degree in English at Grand Valley State University, returned. She joined the Daily News as its newsroom clerk, and eventually began editing obituaries, and in 2016 wrote her first article. She loves the arts, from reading and creative writing to catching a movie or singing in her church choir.