Migration of Wrens

House wrens can be found in the upper two-thirds of the Eastern United States and throughout most of the Western United States, as well as in the lower provinces of Canada and central Mexico. These birds have been spotted as far south as Patagonia in South America. They can be found wherever there is shrub land or wooded areas, whether in deserts, mountains, prairies or in between. Their breeding grounds usually include woodland or forest edges, swamps, fields and farmlands, shrubs and wooded suburban areas such as parks.

House wrens are generally seasonal migrants, flying south in the winter from the colder northern or extreme southern climates to the warmer climates of the southern United States and Mexico. Male wrens are known to return to the same breeding ground year after year, generally in the spring. Less is known about female wren migration habits in relation to breeding, although, like males, they move to warmer locales in the winter.

In the summer, house wrens generally make their homes in trees and shrubs. In the winter they prefer more cover and usually opt for tangled brush, hedges and thickets. They prefer to nest in natural cavities such as tree stumps and woodpecker holes, but they'll also settle into the nooks and crannies of man-made structures as well as artificial nest boxes and bird houses.

Wrens are by no means an endangered species. Their conservation status is listed as "common," indicating no concern exists regarding threats to the house wren population. On the contrary, these birds are numerous throughout both North and South America, with noted population increases over both long-term and short-term periods across North America.