Bird guide · Troglodytes troglodytes
Wren
What the wren eats, where it lives, when it comes to feeders and how to recognise it – with sightings from across the UK.
- Season
- Year-round resident
- Size
- 3.7 in (9.5 cm)
- Eats
- mealworms
- Feeds
- ground
- Most common
- Northern Ireland, England, Wales
Food
What do wrens eat?
At feeders, wrens take mealworms.
Often heard before it is seen, giving a scolding 'tik-tik-tik' alarm call from low cover.
Feeder that suits it
A low tray or platform feeder, or seed scattered on the ground below your feeder.
Range
Where do wrens live?
One of the most widespread birds, from farmland and woodland to towns and gardens. By share of all bird sightings, wrens are most common in Northern Ireland (2.2%).
Nations where wrens are most common
- Northern Ireland2.2%
- England2.2%
- Wales2.1%
- Scotland1.9%
Share of all bird sightings in each nation that are wrens, 2019–2024.
Season
Does the wren migrate?
Year-round resident. Across the UK it is reported in every month; its share of bird sightings is highest in April.
Share of all bird sightings in the UK that are wrens, by month.
Identification
How to identify the wren
Adults: Tiny, almost round chestnut-brown bird with a fine bill and a short tail often held upright.
Size: 3.7 in (9.5 cm)
On camera
Getting the wren on a feeder camera
Most visits happen on the ground or on low trays. A camera feeder with a wide tray, placed low near cover, catches far more than a hanging tube.
Questions
Wren: questions
What do wrens eat?
At feeders, mealworms.
Do wrens migrate?
Year-round resident. Across the UK it is reported in every month; its share of bird sightings is highest in April.
Where do wrens live?
By share of all bird sightings, they are most common in Northern Ireland, England, Wales, Scotland.
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