Houses for House Wrens

House wren.

Let’s face it. House wrens will nest in anything. If you have house wrens in your backyard during breeding season and you yawn…chances are good one will shove a stick inside.

Wrens are known for building multiples nests. They are a tiny cavity nester and you can supply bird houses for them that have only a one inch diameter entry hole only allowing wrens to use it. Yet, they love to use boxes for larger birds like bluebirds, much to the disdain of many a bluebird landlord. I’ve seen them nest in empty bird feeders and I’ve seen several take over wood duck boxes.

House wren nest in a wood duck box.

They are industrious and tenacious insectivores to have in the yard. I know some bluebird landlords treat them like house sparrows and will either freeze the eggs so they don’t hatch and some go as far as to trap and kill them. One that’s illegal and two I look at native birds the same way that I look at planting native plants. Some do better in certain types of soil. I let them work it out.