You’ve probably heard that birds will abandon their nests if you get too close and they can smell your scent in the area. But is this true of all birds? What about wrens? Do wrens ever abandon their babies, and if so, why? Keep reading! In this article, we’ll answer these questions and more.
What You'll Learn Today
Why Would a Wren Abandon Its Nest?
Wrens occasionally reuse the same nest during consecutive seasons, but most of the time they abandon their old nest each season in favor of building a new one. This is completely natural wren behavior and is tied to the mating ritual.
Sometimes wrens may simply build a new nest in the previous spot, while other times they may find a new spot altogether.
But what about during nesting season? Is there anything that would make them abandon their nest while it is in use, when there are eggs or babies in the nest?
One common misconception about birds in general is that they will permanently abandon their nest if they smell the scent of humans nearby. This is not true.
Wrens and most other birds will not leave their nest because of the scent, but they will leave if they see you getting too close and they feel threatened by your presence. They will also leave if they are similarly threatened by other animals.
Most birds are difficult to scare away, and wrens are no exception. Before abandoning the nest, they will try a number of other methods to get rid of intruders, such as chirping loudly and hopping around to warn you away.
Sometimes, wrens may even fly at you and try to peck you before leaving.
So, the most common reason a wren would abandon its nest during nesting season is that it feels directly and immediately threatened.
That said, wrens may also abandon a nest or nesting site if all the eggs or babies in a brood die; rather than laying their next batch of eggs right away, they will first search for a safer location to raise young.
What Do You Do if You Find a Baby Wren?
If you find a baby wren out of the nest, you may think you should leave it alone to avoid getting your scent on it. You’ve probably heard that bird parents will abandon the baby if the parent can smell your scent, but as noted above, this is nothing more than an old wives’ tale.
If you find a baby bird, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service states that “The best thing that could be done is to place the baby back in the nest, if there is one.” Before touching the baby though, it’s important to distinguish between nestlings and fledglings.
Nestlings are baby birds that are too small to be away from the nest. They require care and feeding from their parents and will quickly die if they fall out of the nest.
Fledglings are young birds that are nearing maturity and have grown too large for the nest. They frequently stay near the nest, communicating with their parents, but they are able to be more independent, exploring their world from the ground or surrounding plant life.
So, if you find a baby bird on the ground and it has few feathers, can’t move around much, or still has its eyes closed, then see if you can locate the nest it fell from close by. If you find the nest, then carefully place the baby back into the nest.
On the other hand, if you find a young bird on the ground that appears nearly full-grown and is hopping around flapping its wings, then it’s likely that the bird has fledged and it should not be returned to the nest.
What Do Baby Wrens Eat?
Fledgling and adult wrens eat a wide variety of foods, including insects, seeds, fruits, other plant materials, and suet. The diet of a baby wren is a bit more restricted, however, as they are fed mostly insects while they are still in the nest.
When the baby wrens are very young, they may eat regurgitated food from their parents, but very soon, the parents will begin feeding insects whole. They choose smaller insects at first, such as mealworms, before moving onto larger insects as the babies grow.
Wrens commonly feed their babies mealworms, caterpillars, beetles, grasshoppers, and crickets. They will sometimes also feed tiny bits of snail shells or gravel to help the babies with digesting their food.
Check out the following video of an adult wren feeding its babies.
What Do You Feed an Abandoned Baby Wren?
If you find an abandoned baby wren, and you cannot find a nest to return it to, you may want to try raising it yourself. But how do you do this, and specifically, what should you feed it?
It’s best to try and emulate the same, or similar, conditions it would experience in the wild. Feed the baby mealworms or other small insects such as beetles or parts of grasshoppers.
Use a pair of tweezers to gently lower the insect into the baby’s beak, then release the tweezers so the insect drops the rest of the way. The following video shows how to do it.
Alternatively, you can use another protein source, such as puppy kibble soaked in water and mashed into a paste. Put this paste in a medicine dropper and slowly squeeze it into the bird’s beak.
Feeding a baby wren will be a lot of work for a couple of weeks–they need to be fed every 15 to 20 minutes during the day. The baby will reach fledgling age usually within two to three weeks, or sooner depending on when you found it; but it may still need to be fed for a while as you help it transition to living on its own out in the wild.
Conclusion
Wrens rarely abandon their babies and will only do so if they feel imminently threatened by humans or other predators. If you find a baby wren on the ground, it is best to return it to the nest if possible.
But if you cannot find the nest and have reason to believe the baby has been abandoned, you can care for it by feeding mealworms, other small insects, or a paste made from puppy kibble and water.
It’s good to know that wrens do not abandon their babies 🙂
When a mother run lays her eggs does she stay put on her eggs all day long?
I don’t believe so. I’ve been watching a wrens nest and she leaves during the day and comes back at night.
Does a mother Carolina Wren sit on her eggs all day long?
Wrens built a nest in my fishing boat that sits on a trailer in my yard. I wanted to go fishing and decided between taking the hatched birds with me or moving the nest to a box on a step ladder where the boat sits. I decided to take the birds with me. They drove us crazy with the all day chirping. When returned home, the parents were waiting and immediately flew onto the boat and into the cabin to tend the chicks. We watched as the birds flew in and out of the cabin in a sort of frenzy; I suppose they were feeding the chicks. I am an animal lover and let the boat sit for two weeks waiting for the birds to leave. I usually fish at least twice a week.
Just had wrens leave nest amazing 4 lovely little duplicates of mum & dad
I have baby Wrens in a nesting box. Mom and Dad were feeding the babies in a frenzy. Today I have not seen the adult Wrens at all and babies have been chirping all day. I will check tomorrow to see if they are still alive and if so will postpone my getting away to take care of them.
So what happened? I think I have the same problem! One baby but no parents all day. I’m worried.
Unfortunately, that happened to me. Three babies, one got abandoned.
whatever happened
May I asked what happened then? I’m having the same situation.
For the last 3 years a wren or wrens have built a nest in the same place each time
this yearThis year 3 nest were built 2were abandoned. This last one an egg is there but n bird.
The nest were in my garage.
I’ve had wrens leave nest too not sure why didn’t seem like 12 to 14 days for babies. Should I check inside the birdhouse? Worried and miss them
Wrens have been building a next in my huge impatience plant right by my back door to my deck. We have tried to limit our trips out to the deck but today, day 5 they r no where to b seen and I don’t think they have even laid their eggs yet. I have a large awning I put out over the deck. Do u think that would have scared them ? We’re so disappointed that they aren’t around after being here almost a week.
I think they finally decided it was too much of a risk to be there
Got 3 fledgling house wrens on the grass in our back yard – no parents in sight or sound.
What can I do? Blue Jays are around and they got the fourth fledgling earlier this morning. Any suggestions? Should I get them under cover in our back garden?
Any help would be much appreciated. Thanks.
Parents chose the birdhouse attached to wind chime..the parents have been around feeding the babies..today during the day saw mom bringing food..I can hear chirping ..by late afternoon I didn’t hear or see the parents at all. I see babies peeking out of the opening though..maybe ready to fledged?
Yes
Parents chose the birdhouse attached to wind chime..the parents have been around feeding the babies..today during the day saw mom bringing food..I can hear chirping ..by late afternoon I didn’t hear or see the parents at all. I see babies peeking out of the opening though..maybe ready to fledge?
Just found a Carolina wren nest in my bumper seen two babies so far. They are the cutest things ever. I drive my truck for an hour each way to and from work. These poor birds have been carried for two hours a day across two different counties 5 days a week. I guess I’ll be parking my truck for a couple of weeks… the nest will be incredibly hard to remove without taking my bumper off. I am so thankful they didn’t fall out and also thankful I have another vehicle to drive. Lol
I was so excited when a pair of house wrens occupied a small hanging bird house in my tree this year. The parents were busy adding twigs to the nest and singing in the tree. We barely sat on the deck under the tree for fear we would scare them away. Last week we heard babies chirping in the nest and stayed away altogether to leave them be. Today, I found two babies dead on the ground and the parents nowhere to be seen. I don’t know very much about wrens but I’m wondering if the parents died or abandoned their babies. Either way, I’m sad and disappointed the babies didn’t make it. Should I remove the nesting materials? Wondering if there’s a dead baby in it as well as it smells like death around the tree. Any thoughts?
Hi – The same thing happened to me. The Wren had built a nest and had 5 babies. Fed them every day until yesterday. I did not see her for hours and 2 were hopping on the ground while the other 3 were sticking their heads out of the nest. I called Northcountry Wildcare and the person I spoke to said they are fine and fledging. T
oday the 2 on the ground were dead and I saw more dead babies in the nest. I have no idea what happened to the mother as this is the second nest she had this summer. Tragic.
Sparrows are excellent at reaching in and dragging the babies out, just so they’ll die. I add safe materials, like wood, to the outside of the hole so it’s just big enough for the wrens. Then other birds can’t stick their heads in. This is food competition. House wrens do the same- they poke holes in the eggs of other birds.
Sad but nature
Sparrows are excellent at reaching in and dragging the babies out, just so they’ll die. I add safe materials, like wood, to the outside of the hole so it’s just big enough for the wrens. Then other birds can’t stick their heads in. This is food competition. House wrens do the same- they poke holes in the eggs of other birds.
Sad but nature