Attention bird nerds....

11 years ago

I have a bird nesting in one of my boxes that I have never seen before. I have checked my bird books but I can't ID it.

It has the coloring of a sparrow and is the size of a goldfinch although it is more slim and streamlined. It has no other coloring besides the drab brown; its bill is long for its size and pointed.

I have seen many at my feeders so I am assuming they are the male and female and similarly colored.

I have tried to get a photo but I can't get near enough.

Any ideas? I am in Southwest Ohio just north of the Ohio River.

Thanks for any leads!
Linda

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Comments (10)

catherinet
11 years ago
House or Carolina wren?
dzyg
11 years ago
I would say House wren, they are drab brown all over. Carolina wrens have a clearly defined white eyebrow stripe and are more of a rusty brown. If the house is full of sticks, it is a house wren as that is what they use to build their nests.
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Whitelacey
Original Author
11 years ago
It's not a Carolina Wren; I have those everywhere and I know what they look like. I thought at first a House Wren but it doesn't have the cocked tail. Do House Wrens not have a tail like the Carolina?

Linda
dzyg
11 years ago
No bird always has a cocked tail...just depends how it is sitting and what it is doing. Here are pics of plenty of House wrens, not all have the tail up.

http://www.bing.com/images/search?q=house+wren&qpvt=house+wren&FORM=IGRE
jojoco
11 years ago
Linda, this is so strange. I was asking the guy at the bird feed store about the same bird description that has made a nest in an old abandoned ,well not any longer, birdhouse that's been hanging in my tree for many years. He wasn't sure. Told him I need to get a picture. Mine is sleek like a seal if that makes sense, goldfinch size, and a light mocha in coloring. I live in upstate New York, near Syracuse

Jo
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Whitelacey
Original Author
11 years ago
Jojo,

It sounds like the same bird-sleek like a seal is a fitting description.

Dz,

The pictures look too chunky for this bird. Any other possibilities ?

Linda
dzyg
11 years ago
whitelacey...house wrens are anything but chunky. They are tiny slim birds.

Did you look in the house it is nesting in? If it is full of sticks it is a house wren without a doubt!
starlinka
11 years ago
juvenile starling?
kendra2003
11 years ago
What kind of nest it made will give you the answer. As
dzyg said, if it is made of sticks, it is a House Wren. Cavity nesting birds each have their own unique style of nest building.
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Whitelacey
Original Author
11 years ago
It's not a starling; it's very tiny.

I guess I will have to wait until it is finished nesting as the bird box is totally enclosed. I clean it at the end of the season so I can see the nest then. I have had other twig nests in my other boxes so maybe it is a house wren. It just puzzles me as I have been bird watching and feeding for many years and this is the first time I have seen this one.

Thanks for your help!
Linda

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