Photographed by Bette Jackson



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Hi, I'm Dr. Jerry Jackson, out with the wild things. One of the loudest of Florida birds, the Carolina wren, is also common and intimately associated with people. Listen for its clarion 'teakettle, teakettle, teakettle' or 'gibberdee, gibberdee, gibberdee'. Its songs can vary; indeed scientists have recorded nearly 150 different songs from these birds, some almost mechanical, but all loud. This rust-colored, sparrow-sized bird with a thin, inch-long, slightly curved bill loves spiders. As it hunts for spiders it can also be seen poking around under the eaves of houses, or in garages and car ports, or even under the hood of your car. Carolina wrens not only find their favorite food near us, they also find unusual nest sites. Carolina wrens build nests of pine straw and other materials in a hidden place; in the wild, often in a decayed tree, but near humans, often in an old boot, or coffee can, or shoe box in a garage or car port, or in the middle of a hanging fern. I've even found Carolina wren nests under the hood of my car, which I left parked for a month as they raised their family.