Wren vs. Chickdee: Who's Mo' Badass?
The housing shortage in Corvallis has
apparently extended to the bird kingdom. A wren and a pair of
chickadees have been engaged in loud, continuous squabbles over a
nesting hole in the fence behind building two. Wren makes the most
noise, so you could say the wren is in the catbird seat. The
chickadee does the most bullying, chasing the wren around the area.
The early morning air is filled with “chickadee-dee-dee-dee,”
followed by various wren warbles and buzzes – on repeat. Over and
over. (Of note, the more dee-dee-dees at the end of the chickadee
call, the greater the threat.) By the end of the day, wren is still
singing, and chickadee appears worn out. He sits on the wire fence
under the nest hole, feathers all plumped out – looking bigger,
badder, and appearing to scowl through that low-slung black cap.
Chickadee has a partner who sometimes goes into the nest hole during
the chases, and sits looking out – making it clear who inhabits
this hole. Wren then sits on the wire fence beneath the hole, body
flicking furiously. Today I thought I saw a little brown bird go
into the hole during a chase and disappear. So, wren might just have
a partner, this still needs verification. Last year, he sang for
almost 3 weeks, and just when it seemed that all was lost, a partner
appeared and cleaned up the awkward nest he had built for her. They
had a successful fledge.
To hear wren songs and scoldings:
https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/House_Wren/sounds
To hear black capped chickadee sounds:
https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Black-capped_Chickadee/sounds
Who has claim to this nest hole? It
was started several years ago by a downy woodpecker, who never
completed it. It was finished by a couple of chickadees, who busily
deposited sawdust all over the nearby planting beds, but they never
nested in it. Last year a wren came and set up house in the hole.
So, while the architecture is distinctly chickadee, wrens do have a
precedent for living in this hole.
So, who's mo' badass? Wrens are
aggressive and destroy the eggs and young of nest box competition.
While it is a little late this spring, perhaps it's time to do
something about the bird housing shortage at Coho.
