South Carolina is famous for the Blue Ridge Mountains, Piedmont, and Atlantic plain. South Carolina has its official state bird and animal. The Whitetail Deer is the state animal for South Carolina but what about the state bird?
The official state bird of South Carolina is the great Carolina Wren which got this status in 1948. Earlier it was mockingbird but in 1948, the great Carolina wren received this status. And In this article, I’ve explained all the facts related to it.
Why did South Carolina choose the Great Carolina Wren as their state bird?
In 1939, South Carolina received a mockingbird as its official state bird.
This bird remained the state bird for nine months but after that, the residents of South Carolina decided to replace the bird with a state avian that represented the wildlife of South Carolina in a better way as compared to the mockingbird.
When did South Carolina choose the Great Carolina Wren as their state bird?
In 1948, the South Carolina named the great Carolina Wren as their official state bird. With the passing of this legislation, it rescinded the honor of the mockingbird.
What does the Great Carolina Wren look like?
The great Carolina wren is a cream-head bird having a cream color body and brown tail & wing feathers. Their beak matches the wing and they are downy around the buttocks.
When it comes to the size and length of these birds, the Great Carolina measures 4.7 to 5.5 inches in length with a wingspan of 11 inches.
However, these birds are not heavy and weigh only 0.6 ounces to 0.8 ounces. The color of this bird helps them to blend with the forest in which they live. This protects them from their predators.
How do these birds behave?
The habitat of the great Carolina birds is diversified and they favor fields, swamps, and forests. These birds can make their nest in tree holes, fence posts, and the eaves of a barn or house.
These birds can get creative with where they put their nests. Great Carolina prefers a good and protected location for building their nests.
They can even choose a shoe, a flower pot, a bag, or any other place for building their nest. The places which can protect from the predators and elements seem to be suitable for their nests.
The nest building is done by a couple of birds and they both find nesting materials for constructing the nest. Once the nest gets completed on the outside, the female bird decorates the interiors of the nest.
The nest is built in such a form that it is cozy before laying eggs. At this point, the great Carolina wrens loudly perform love songs to attract the mate.
On the other hand, the female bird just sits and listens to the male song. They both mate with each other when the male bird lures the female one accurately.
These birds breed frequently and the female bird lays up to three broods of eggs each year. Each brood has about three to four eggs. The incubation period of the eggs of these birds is of 14 to 16 days.
The hatchlings of these birds grow quickly and can leave the nest after two weeks. It needs another two weeks before they become adults and forage food for themselves.
In these two weeks, the parent birds continue to feed them. They drop off the food in front of them.
Do Carolina Wrens form communities?
Great Carolina generally spends their time staying alone. They forage and hunt on their own. They prefer taking their parents only when they do errands.
The whole family dines together. They do not flock in groups and rarely travel. Carolina wrens usually fly short distances and enjoy their life near the nest. And defend their nest & territory from intruders.
Carolina birds mate for life and can breed up to three times a year. These birds love to sing and usually sing every day. The Carolina wren migrates out to as far as Oklahoma.
What do great Carolina wrens eat?
The Great Carolina usually eats insect larvae, spiders, crickets, grasshoppers, lizards, small fruits, berries, seeds, millipedes, and true bugs.
Conclusion
South Carolina has the great Carolina wren as its state bird and it replaced the mockingbird in this status. These birds usually nest in a place that seems to be good for them. It can include places like bags, flower pots, or even shoes for building a nest.
At last, I hope this article might have helped you in some ways. Thank You For Reading!
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