This little guy can be heard right now in all our marshes on Seabrook Island. They like to hang out in the tall grasses. This bird looks very much like a Carolina wren. (See the picture below to compare) They are an inch smaller than the Carolina Wren. They also have more black patterns on wings and back. They both are rusty-brown with a white eyebrow. But their songs are very different. The marsh wren has a very fast, buzzy, trilling sound. Marsh Wrens are boisterous songsters that sing not only at dawn and dusk, but sometimes throughout the night. Marsh wrens are usually seen alone or sometimes in pairs.
Marsh Wrens pick insects and spiders from stems and leaves of marsh vegetation. They tend to forage close to water, but occasionally fly up to catch a passing insect. Males build several nests within their territory and breed with more than one female. They also destroy eggs and nestlings of other Marsh Wrens and marsh-nesting birds. Adults often return to the same breeding territories year after year. Males arrive on the breeding grounds first and begin building several dome-shaped nests. When a female arrives, he cocks his tail and sings. He then escorts her around to his nests, bowing and holding up his tail. Once the female selects the nest, they both aggressively defend the territory.
Although populations appear stable, like other species that rely on marsh habitat, draining and filling of marshes could be problematic for Marsh Wrens.
If you would like more information about Marsh Wrens, visit https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Marsh_Wren/overview
This blog post is part of a series SIB will publish on a regular basis to feature birds seen in the area, both migratory and permanent residents. When possible we will use photographs taken by our members. Please let us know if you have any special requests of birds you would like to learn more about.
Submitted by Melanie Jerome
Photos by Dean Morr and Audubon
References – All About Birds
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