The Carolina Wren is a plump, richly colored wren with a big voice, warm rufous above and buff below, marked by a bold white eyebrow stripe and the jaunty cocked tail typical of its family. For such a small bird it is astonishingly loud, and the male sings a ringing, repeated "tea-kettle, tea-kettle, tea-kettle" that seems far too big for the singer, carrying through gardens and thickets year-round. Curious and energetic, it clambers through brush piles, tangled undergrowth, and even the nooks of porches and outbuildings.
A southern bird at the northern edge of its range, the Carolina Wren is a year-round resident concentrated in southern Michigan, and its fortunes rise and fall with winter severity — populations build during mild years and can be knocked back by harsh, snowy winters, since the bird does not migrate and depends on finding insects and cover through the cold. It readily uses suburban yards with dense shrubbery and will visit feeders for suet and seed, and its habit of nesting in odd cavities, from mailboxes to flowerpots, endears it to many homeowners.
Feeds mainly on insects and spiders gleaned from foliage, bark, brush piles, and the ground, probing tangles and crevices, and adds seeds and berries especially in winter. Because it does not migrate, its ability to find insects and other food through cold weather is key to surviving northern winters.
That ringing, repeated "tea-kettle, tea-kettle, tea-kettle" is a male Carolina Wren. The song is remarkably loud for such a small bird and is sung throughout the year, unlike many songbirds that fall silent outside the breeding season.
The Carolina Wren is a non-migratory southern bird at the edge of its range in Michigan. Populations build during mild winters and can be sharply reduced by harsh, snowy ones, so its numbers swing with winter severity.
Often, yes, especially in southern Michigan. It likes dense shrubbery, brush piles, and tangled cover, visits feeders for suet and seed, and famously nests in odd spots like flowerpots, mailboxes, and porch nooks.
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