Overview

The wren is Britain's most common breeding bird and one of its smallest — a plump brown ball of energy with an upright tail and a song that belies its size. Males sing from exposed perches, their rapid, rattling trill ringing through woodland and gardens alike.

Wrens hunt insects in tangles of ivy, log piles, and dense shrubbery, building domed nests in cavities, nest boxes, and even old coat pockets left in sheds. In cold winters, communal roosting helps them survive nights that would kill a lone bird.

Habitat

Almost any habitat with cover suits wrens — gardens, woodland, hedgerows, reedbeds, and coastal scrub across the UK. They need dense vegetation for nesting and foraging and are rarely far from undergrowth.