About the size of a robin, the cactus wren is the largest member of the wren family. Its brown feathers mottled with white, together with the jewel-like, bright red or orange iris of its eyes, combine to make it quite a pretty bird.
As its name indicates the cactus wren makes its home in the hot deserts of the southwestern United States and northern Mexico. This is where its ability to thrive in the harsh desert has been provided by the Creator, and it seems quite content there. It has been given a remarkable instinct to place its nest among the needle-like armor of spiny cholla and other cactus plants. This defense is so good that its enemies (owls, wood rats, ground squirrels and snakes) do not care to attack often. So sure is the wren of this protection that it makes no attempt to conceal its nest which is placed about three feet above the ground.
The straw-colored nests, where speckled eggs are laid and the young raised, are often as' big as a man's head. Shaped like a flask they are made of desert plants, grass and twigs and lined with soft wooly fibers and feathers. These nests show the God-given skill handed down from one generation to another. When finished with her nest the female wren builds a landing platform surrounded by sharp cactus spikes from which an oval passage, as much as a foot long, goes into the nest itself.
However, the male bird is not invited to share this nest. Instead, if he cannot find an abandoned one to use he builds himself a separate one nearby. He is not as careful about its construction as the female is with hers, except that he also places it among protective needles of a cactus or thorny bush. The female's nest may be reused year after year, but the male's often will fall apart during the first winter's storms.
Cactus wrens are wary creatures, although they do select high perches for singing their melodious songs. However, when searching for food they prefer to fly close to the ground, screened by desert bushes. Most of their food is insects and seeds of desert plants. When hunting, these wise little birds know that much food lives under stones, so they turn these over to get at the insects that live underneath. Some of these stones may weigh half as much as the birds do.
Our opening verse tells us of our Creator God who, though mighty, humbles Himself to look after all His creatures. This includes you as well, and not only does He care for your needs, but the Bible tells us, "The Lord searcheth all hearts, and understandeth all the imaginations of the thoughts: if thou seek Him, He will be found of thee; but if thou forsake Him, He will cast thee off forever." 1 Chron. 28:99And thou, Solomon my son, know thou the God of thy father, and serve him with a perfect heart and with a willing mind: for the Lord searcheth all hearts, and understandeth all the imaginations of the thoughts: if thou seek him, he will be found of thee; but if thou forsake him, he will cast thee off for ever. (1 Chronicles 28:9).
What does He see when He looks into your heart?