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Newborn Carolina Wrens are fed by their parents and rely on them for food in the first few weeks after hatching. The parents bring them a diet consisting mainly of insects and spiders. Some common foods include beetles, moths, caterpillars, grasshoppers, crickets, and small spiders. The parents hunt these small invertebrates in trees and bushes near the nest. They break larger prey into smaller pieces to feed to the nestlings. As the nestlings grow, the parents gradually provide larger prey items. The nestlings only leave the nest and start finding their own food at 14-17 days old.
Diet When Hatching
Carolina Wrens hatch with their eyes closed and very little feathers. They are helpless and completely dependent on their parents for survival and food. The parents take responsibility for finding food and bringing it back to the nest multiple times per hour.
When the chicks first hatch, the parents bring very small soft-bodied insects and spiders that are easy for the hatchlings to eat and digest. Some common early foods include:
- Small caterpillars
- Moth eggs and larvae
- Spider eggs
- Newly hatched spiders
- Termite alates
- Aphids
- Fruit flies
- Ants
These tiny prey items provide a high-protein diet ideal for the nestlings rapid growth and development. The parents swallow the prey to soften it up before feeding it directly to the hatchlings’ mouths.
Diet in First Week
As the Carolina Wren chicks grow in their first week, the parents start providing larger prey items that have more substance:
- Caterpillars
- Beetles
- Crickets
- Grasshoppers
- Spiders
- Moths
- Fly larvae
The nestlings have more muscle control and can swallow larger chunks of food. The parents still break the prey into manageable pieces to feed to the chicks. Caterpillars and beetle larvae are soft-bodied and full of nutrition for the rapidly growing chicks.
Diet in Second Week
By two weeks old, the Carolina Wren chicks have grown significantly. Their eyes are open and they have more feathers. The parents now start delivering larger insects and even bring small lizards, snails and worms. Some common foods include:
- Grasshoppers
- Crickets
- June bugs
- Moths
- Dragonflies
- Roaches
- Lizards
- Snails
- Earthworms
The two-week-old nestlings can handle these larger, harder-bodied prey items. The higher protein and calcium from this diet ensures healthy feather growth and bone development. The parents may even bring an occasional berry or fruit chunk for some added nutrition.
Diet Right Before Fledging
In the last few days before leaving the nest at 14-17 days old, the Carolina Wren chicks require high-protein foods to finish growing flight muscles and feathers. The parents provide ample insects, spiders, and an occasional small vertebrate. Some common foods include:
- Grasshoppers
- Crickets
- Caterpillars
- Beetles
- Cicadas
- Dragonflies
- Small frogs and lizards
- Snakes
- Rodents
These energy-rich foods give the nestlings the nutrients they need to leave the nest and start flying and finding their own food. The parents may coax the chicks out with food as their first flying lessons.
Parental Care
Carolina Wren parents are dedicated providers for their chicks. Here are some facts about their parental care:
- Both parents share nestling feeding duties.
- They feed the chicks every 5-10 minutes from sunrise to sunset.
- Each chick can receive up to 400 feedings per day.
- The parents remove fecal sacs to keep the nest clean.
- They defend the nest vigorously from any predators.
- The chicks grow rapidly, increasing their weight almost 10 times from hatching to fledging.
Thanks to such diligent care and feeding from the parents, Carolina Wren chicks grow fast and leave the nest ready for independence. The parents continue bringing them food for 2-3 weeks after fledging too.
Foraging Habits of Parents
To sustain such frequent feedings, Carolina Wren parents prioritize hunting prey in proximity to the nest. They make short foraging trips, typically repeating the same routes through dense vegetation that harbor the most insects and spiders.
Some of their foraging habits include:
- Searching in leaf litter, bark crevices, and low branches.
- Probing inside curled leaves and under eaves.
- Plucking insects off leaves and tree trunks.
- Capturing flying insects in mid-air.
- Turning over sticks and logs to uncover hiding insects.
The parents can often be seen returning to the nest with bulging beaks full of food. Their insect-catching skills are on full display during this demanding period of raising their chicks.
Diet Changes After Fledging
Once the Carolina Wren fledglings can fly and leave the nest at 14-17 days old, they start learning to find food on their own. However, the parents continue supplementing them with frequent feedings.
For the first 2-3 weeks out of the nest, the young birds are still developing their insect-foraging skills. They clumsily hop around branches, gradually becoming more adept at plucking crawling insects, probing crevices, and capturing flies.
During this transition phase, some foods the parents bring include:
- Caterpillars
- Small grasshoppers
- Moths
- Crickets
- Spiders
- Berries
- Fruit pieces
These nutritious foods help the fledglings grow stronger and become independent.
Adult Carolina Wren Diet
Once Carolina Wrens reach adulthood after 3-4 months, they eat a wide variety of arthropods as well as some small vertebrates and fruit. Their diet includes:
- Beetles
- Caterpillars
- Crickets
- Grasshoppers
- Moths
- Flies
- Spiders
- Centipedes
- Millipedes
- Snails
- Small lizards and frogs
- Berries
- Fruit
- Nuts
- Seeds
Carolina Wrens are versatile foragers. They probe through leaf litter, crevices, vines, and brush piles using their long downturned bill. They glean insects off vegetation and capture them on the fly. Their wide-ranging diet provides the energy and nutrients they need all year round.
Unique Adaptations for Feeding Nestlings
Carolina Wrens have some interesting physical and behavioral adaptations that enable them to successfully find food for their chicks:
- Curved bill perfect for probing into tight spaces for hidden insects.
- Strong legs for hopping through dense vegetation.
- Excellent eyesight for spotting tiny insects.
- Swift flying skills for catching insects mid-air.
- Capacity to swallow large insects whole to deliver to chicks.
- Ability to carry multiple insects in bill at once when returning to nest.
- Tough feet for holding large struggling prey items.
- Dedication to tirelessly feeding chicks from dawn to dusk.
These adaptations allow Carolina Wren parents to be highly effective hunters. They are able to supply a steady stream of nutritious insects and spiders to sustain their rapidly growing chicks.
Conclusion
In summary, newborn Carolina Wrens are completely dependent on their parents to provide a protein-rich diet of insects and spiders. The parents start with tiny soft prey when chicks first hatch, then gradually offer larger and harder items as the chicks grow. They feed the nestlings hundreds of times daily, requiring excellent foraging skills and nonstop hunting. Thanks to such diligent parental care, the chicks grow quickly and leave the nest prepared for independence within 2-3 weeks.