The Birdhouse Network Physical Description Male and female House Wrens look alike. They have grayish brown upperparts, buff or pale-buff underparts, and faint buff or dusky brown eyebrows.
Juveniles have a reddish brown rump, and their underparts are a darker buff.
Distribution and Breeding Habitat House Wrens occupy the northern two-thirds of the United States and parts of Canada. They breed in forest edges, shrub lands, swamps, fields, farmlands, and suburban parks. Diet Gleaning their food from tree foliage, House Wrens feast on a variety of invertebrates, including millipedes, spiders, snails, caterpillars, grasshoppers, ants, and beetles. The male arrives first on the breeding territory. When the female arrives, she selects a nest site that may or may not be one of the nests started by the male.