HOUSE WRENS FEEDING FISH TO THEIR NESTLINGS

Abstract

The House Wren (Troglodytes aedon) is a primarily insectivorous passerine that gleans most of its food from shrubs or trees (Kendeigh 1941; Guinan and Sealy 1987, 1989). Although the Winter Wren (Troglodytes troglodytes) and Carolina Wren (Thryothorus ludovicianus) have been reported to feed on vertebrates occasionally (Haslam 1844; Bent 1948; Huxley 1949; Bagnall-Oakley 1968), we found no reports in the literature of House Wrens feeding on vertebrates. We report here House Wrens feeding fish to their nestlings.