Bathing Beauties

When a Carolina Wren finds a pot of dirt

by

Last spring, I looked out my window and noticed that dirt was scattered outside of the potted plants on my patio. Thinking a squirrel was the culprit, I waited and watched—only to discover a family of Carolina Wrens was using my pots and exposed dirt for their dust baths. The wrens were so sweet and earnest with their bathing, I hated to interfere.

The Carolina Wren (Thryothorus ludovicianus) is one of my most beloved backyard birds. Often heard before seen, the wren’s song seems to say: tea-kettle, tea-kettle, tea-kettle or wheedle, wheedle, wheedle. 

This cheerful visitor can often be seen flitting around edges of woods, backyard shrubs, and vines. Not shy birds, wrens will also check out patios, garages, and outside storage areas. 

At 5.5 inches, the Carolina Wren has a rich brown color overall, with a reddish-brown belly and chest. The throat area is buffy, as is the line over its eye. This eye stripe or “eyebrow” is distinctive to the Carolina Wren, but all wren species can hold their tail cocked above the back, giving the bird a perky look. 

[Read this story from birding extraordinaire: Ghosts on the Wing—Birds of a feather may flock together, but they don’t always look the same]

Found mostly in the eastern half of United States, the Carolina Wren is a year-long resident and is easily attracted to any backyard offering the basics of water, food, and shelter. Wrens love insects like beetles, grasshoppers, and cockroaches, as well as spiders, snails, and slugs; and might often be seen scurrying across the lawn in pursuit of a bug. During the winter months when insects are not as abundant, homeowners can help supplement the wren diet by incorporating berry-producing shrubs and vines, such as sumac, bayberry, Virginia creeper, and even poison ivy into their landscape. Hedges, brush piles, and shrubs will give wrens a safe place to shelter when needed. 

Low water dishes on the ground (unless you have an outdoor cat) or a garden fountain can serve as a source of water for the wren, for both drinking and bathing. Water baths are a critical part of the wren’s feather hygiene. Besides, watching the Carolina Wren splashing around in the water is like capturing a PBS moment in your own backyard.

When Spring mating season rolls around, the Carolina Wren does not need assistance producing the next generation. Pairs mate for life, and they even build their nests together. Adding a traditional bird house to the backyard is a good idea but not necessary. Wrens are creative nesters and opt to build their nests wherever it suits their fancy. Because Carolina Wrens have adapted so well to urban living, their bulky nests of twigs, leaves, moss, and weeds might be found inside gardening shoes, door wreaths, discarded flowerpots, old engines, garage shelves, open mailboxes, barbeque pits, old tires, propane hoods, and brush piles. 

If you are lucky enough to have a wren pair nest in your yard, expect to see three to seven fledglings hanging around your yard and patio. They tend to be less fearful than their parents and will get themselves into every nook and cranny of a patio looking for bugs, or for a spot to dust bathe.

Dust is a natural cleanser for birds, keeping them from accumulating too much oil in their feathers, which can cause feathers to get matted and interfere with a bird’s airworthiness. Dust also smothers lice, mites, and parasites.

Dusting is most common in birds living in areas with little rain or during the hotter parts of the year. However, birds will dust whenever they feel it necessary to keep their feathers in good condition.

Open spots in the yard without vegetation are present prime opportunities for a dust bath. In the dirt, the wren will shimmy around on its belly until a depression has been made, allowing for a greater surface area to be coated. Then, they will start waving their wings in the air to cover the undersides with dust. By the end of the bath, the wren has dusted every part of its feathered body except for its back.  

When the wrens dominated the exposed dirt in my potted plants last spring, I left them alone until the level of loose dirt on my patio stopped being cute. Then, I placed garden rocks from the alleyway on the dirt surface of the pots, re-directing the wrens to find more natural bathing areas. Even so, I once peeked out the window to notice two determined wrens using their bill to toss the rocks over the sides and reclaim their favorite bathing spot.