The American House Wren is larger than the European wren, being about five inches long. It is of a reddish-brown color. The nest of the wren is built in any convenient cranny: an ivy-covered tree, the thatch of a barn or a warm scarecrow are all used by this featherless little bird. It is a good fighter and will attack bluebirds and swallows. The nest is usually of an oval shape, always covered on the outside with some material resembling the color of the objects around it, such as green moss, if built among ivy, or brown lichen, if built on a rock or in the fork of a withered branch. The eggs are six or eight in number--white, specked with reddish-brown.
The Carolina Wren frequents the undergrowth in thickets; he is the most nervously active of all the wrens.
The Bewick's Wren is often found in the barnyard.
The Winter Wren builds its nest usually in the tree-roots and heaps of brush.
The Marsh Wrens build their nests of a globular shape with the entrance at the side, either attached to weeds or tall grass, near or on the ground.
This is a very large family; they feed almost entirely upon insects. They are the first to leave upon the approach of winter and the last to come in the spring. They migrate at night and thousands are killed annually by dashing against lighthouses.
The black and white warbler is streaked with black and white and can be readily identified; it can be often seen creeping under branches in search of its insect food.
The yellow warbler. What boy has not seen a "wild canary"? It likes to inspect the gardens and shrubbery around our houses, and consequently may be frequently noticed. There are a great many more in this numerous family.
This is another large bird family. In it are the bluebird and the friendly robin; their song is very sweet.
The wood thrush is less shy than the veery or hermit thrush. It can be distinguished from the others by its larger size and its ruddy color and the large black spots covering its underparts. The veery's upper parts are cinnamon color; its dress is finely marked and its sides almost white; it inhabits the dense woods and does not frequent the habitation of man as does the wood thrush.
The Hermit Thrush is distinguished by its red tail, which is much brighter in color than its back; it comes early in the spring and lingers long in the autumn.