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You'll know the Carolina Wren by it's rich cinnamon plumage, white eyebrow stripe, long and thin beak, and upward-cocked tail. And as you may have noticed, I've painted these cuties a lot!

Over the past several weeks I've seen plenty of bird activity in my backyard, but a pair of Carolina Wrens have caught my eye — and a particular wren has piqued my curiosity. I'll tell you more about that later, but first, some fun facts about these energetic little birds:

• Carolina Wrens mate for life.
• Carolina Wrens are known for their singing, but only the males sing the loud "teakettle! teakettle!" song. Females may become vocal by chattering while the male sings.
• Carolina Wrens do not migrate, but remain in the same territory year-round.
• Carolina Wrens eat mostly insects, but also come to my feeder (especially for peanuts).

But none of the above facts are as unusual as something I've noticed in at least one of my backyard wrens. (I'm going to call it a "she" because I have not witnessed this bird singing.)

Check out this little furball (above). She looks like a fawn with all those spots! But wait, adult Carolina Wrens don't have spots like this... or do they?

As I've been watching these wrens spending time around and under my deck (they particularly like the honeysuckle vines), I wondered if this was a juvenile (because of the spots), and if so, at what age do juveniles pair up and mate? 

This is not a juvenile.

It turns out young wrens look pretty much like adult wrens, albeit somewhat scruffier and with shorter tails.  

I continued to search for an answer.

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Upon further investigation.

The feathers that are involved are the rump feathers, which usually lay flat against the body, under the wings, forming a smooth contour from back to tail. In this case the bird has fluffed them out to cover the wings, and in that way shows a bunch of white spots. ~David Sibley

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Here she is, seconds later, and you can see that now half of her rump feathers are fluffed up over her left wing, while the right wing feathers are in the usual array. 

The question is why?
It's unusual for these white spots to be visible, and some have speculated that this display is for insulation or camouflage purposes. In "my" wren, at least, this behavior shows up almost every time I see her...

 Preening...

Hunting...

And roosting.

So interesting!

There is much to learn about our feathered neighbors!

Have you seen a wren showing it's rump feather spots like this? I'd love to hear about your bird encounters!

I'll leave you with a 23 second video, A Drink and a Bath, to brighten your day!

Paint. Love. Repeat.

When watching birds, I feel free.

~Amy Tan