Carolina Wrens, February 2011, Phillip's Fetching Birds

Carolina wrens don't migrate, if you have them in your summer neighborhood, chances are good they will be trying to make it through the winter too. Here in New England, winters can be hard. These small chestnut songbirds are one of the loudest, with the males singing Tea Kettle! Tea Kettle! Tea Kettle! at any time of year. They eat spiders and other insects, occasionally taking fruit or berries, and when the snow sets in I’ll often see one skulking around the sides of my compost heap and frequenting the suet station. They’re easy to distinguish from other wrens with their bright white eyebrows, rufousy back and wings, and buffy underparts. Like other wrens, the tail is usually held upright.