The British wren

The Wren is a very common bird, and one of Britain’s most prolific garden birds with at least 8 million breeding pairs of Wrens, but most people don’t recall seeing them in their garden due to their private and unobtrusive nature. They spend most of their time foraging for small insects and invertebrates, as they need to feed almost constantly. The Wren exists on a wholesome diet of spiders, flies, ants and beetles, and due to the fact that these creatures are available all year round, there is no need for the Wren to migrate.

These small seemingly full looking brown birds have long legs, a fine bill, short round wings and a short, narrow tail, so they are easy to spot when you look closely enough, usually around and under hedgerows and bushes. It is a bird of hidden places, nooks and crannies as opposed to treetops and rooftops, and the name Wren from the Latin Troglodytes troglodytes literally translates to Cave Dweller.

The Wren is small size, at just 6-10 cm and weighing little more than a £1 coin, with a wingspan of approximately 13cm.

Have you spotted these tiny visitors in YOUR garden? Let me know!