Blue Tits. Wren?. (1 Viewer)

[aharley]

I have put a bird box at the top of my garden,blue tits are nesting in it,Now i have a question?. Can anyone tell me if it is the norm for a wren to help rear the young.

 

[Tri-Counties Birder]

Have you actually observed the Wren go into the box with food?

The reason I ask is, that Wrens often use nest boxes to roost in at night, and its conceivable that it may still try to do this, even when there are chicks in there.

But, situations whereby the wrong species feeds some chicks have been recorded before. I think this comes down to the 'feed me' factor of chicks. When an adult bird that has its mind set on breeding hears begging calls, it can't resist stuffing them with food! Think of the Cuckoo chick being fed - same sort of instincts coming into play.

 

[etudiant]

In my experience, the House Wren is a bad neighbor.
Delightful song, but it demands plenty of space.
See:
http://www.wikihow.com/Deter-House-Wrens-from-Nestboxes

Your Tits may be loosing their eggs to a ruthless space hog.

 

[Tri-Counties Birder]

In my experience, the House Wren is a bad neighbor.
Delightful song, but it demands plenty of space.
See:
http://www.wikihow.com/Deter-House-Wrens-from-Nestboxes

Your Tits may be loosing their eggs to a ruthless space hog.

We're talking Winter Wren here, the UK species. They are no threat to the chicks whatsoever.

 

[etudiant]

We're talking Winter Wren here, the UK species. They are no threat to the chicks whatsoever.

Thanks for the clarification.
My experience is only with the American House Wren.
I did not know that our Winter Wren is also the UK Wren.