Carolina Wren (Thryothorus ludovicianus)

Voices and Vocabularies - How Birds Sing So Loudly

February 2, 2023 When a Carolina Wren like this one sings, something remarkable happens. These birds can sing so loudly that you almost have to shout to be heard over their songs! How can a bird like a Carolina Wren – at just 5½ inches long and weighing only as much as four nickels – produce so much sound

Strange Places for a Nest

December 2, 2022 Birds are resourceful. Wherever they live, even in the biggest cities, they find clever places to build their nests. An initiative from the Cornell Lab of Ornithology called Celebrate Urban Birds once asked people to share the funkiest and funniest places they’ve seen a bird nest. Among

Hurricanes and Birds

August 3, 2021 Hurricanes bring tragedy not only to people, but also to birds and other wildlife. Severe storm winds may kill many birds and blow others far from their normal range. Although many individuals die, most populations of birds are resilient, able to spring back from disaster if conditions

Locating a Bird by Sound

May 31, 2021 To locate where a sound is coming from, we use time lag. A sound coming from the left is first detected by the left ear, then ever-so-slightly later by the right ear. But the ears of some small birds (like these Carolina Wrens) and insects are too close together for them to use time lag

Nest Boxes Help Bring Birds Back

February 25, 2021 Wherever you live, chances are a sweet-singing, cavity-nesting bird would be happy to perform in your yard — and it might stick around if you offer it a cozy nest box, like the one this Carolina Wren enjoys. Natural cavities, like old woodpecker holes, are often in short supply. So putting

Singing Like a Bird and Feeling Good

August 30, 2020 Every now and then, don’t you just want to belt it out? Imagine singing like a Black-headed Grosbeak! Or what about a Carolina Wren? Picture warbling like a House Finch. All this just too rambunctious for you? The call of the American Bittern more your style? Or this Yellow-headed

Decibels Per Gram

July 26, 2016 Some of the tiniest birds in the world have impressively loud voices. The Ruby-crowned Kinglet — that bright-headed sprite of the treetops — would be downright deafening if it were just a little bigger. Hummingbirds were originally named for the mechanical buzzing produced by their

Sanctuary and Bird Sound - with Patti McLead

July 3, 2016 When Patti and Patrick McLead purchased land near the Edwards Plateau in Texas, they wanted to create a bed and breakfast that doubled as a bird sanctuary. They built cottages and created a meadow. When they put in a pond, birds were quick to respond. This Black-crested Titmouse is among

Vernal Equinox - East

March 20, 2009 This Carolina Wren doesn't know the precise instant of the vernal equinox of course. But the wren senses the growing hours of daylight through a surge of hormones, which tell it it's time to sing. Both science and folklore tie Spring to the renewal of nature, as the world awakens from the