A wren is a tiny brown bird with a surprisingly loud voice. Despite being one of the smallest birds you'll see hopping around your backyard (about the size of a golf ball with a tail), wrens sing bold, complex songs that ring out clearly across gardens and forests.

These energetic little birds have short, upright tails that they often hold straight up like exclamation points. They're extremely active, constantly flitting through bushes and low branches hunting for insects and spiders. Wrens build their nests in small cavities: hollow logs, birdhouses, or even old boots left outside.

The house wren, common across North America, will fearlessly defend its tiny territory from much larger birds. In winter, some wrens huddle together in groups of a dozen or more to stay warm, packing themselves into a single small nest box like sardines.

In many cultures, wrens symbolize boldness and resourcefulness. The Carolina wren's cheerful song sounds like “teakettle-teakettle-teakettle,” while other species have their own distinctive calls. If you hear a surprisingly powerful song coming from low in the bushes, there's a good chance you've found a wren, proving that being small doesn't mean being quiet or timid.