Was there a mail thief at her Fort Worth home? A security camera captured the culprit
Kei Mayes first noticed her mail had been rifled through around this time last year.
Sometimes pieces of mail would be shifted around the mailbox. Other times the pieces looked like someone had tried to pull them out.
By all means, it looked like someone was trying to steal Mayes’ mail from her Wedgwood Square home. There were some anomalies. When the lid to the mailbox was closed, the rifling would stop.
But every time Mayes got a notification on her security system about movement near her front door mailbox, she was never able to see who was out there.
Whoever, or whatever, was getting in the mailbox would be gone by the time she went to check the camera.
She finally caught the culprit last week.
It was a bird.
Mayes knows the bird truly didn’t steal anything, but with the negative stories about mail thieves, she wanted to make someone smile. So she posted the video to NextDoor.
“Well....finally caught the mail thief on video!!” she wrote. “Anyone recognize this burglar?”
NextDoor users believe the bird may be a Carolina wren. The birds are native to the central and eastern United States, including about half of Texas.
“The police tried to arrest him but he flew the coop!” one person commented. “Typical jailbird!”
“Definitely looks sketchy ... I wonder if that is its real feathers or a disguise,” another wrote.
Breeding season for Carolina wrens lasts from March to October, according to the University of Michigan. Male and female pairs work over a week to build a nest together (sometimes in mailboxes), from 3 to 9 inches long to 3 to 6 inches wide.
Mayes isn’t a stranger to birds rifling through her things. She often invites the creatures to her yard with a birdbath and feeder. Last year, another bird made a nest in a tree at the front of her yard with a piece of ribbon from one of her plant’s tags.
She said she hoped the bird found its nest.
The bird could not be reached for comment.
This story was originally published March 15, 2023 at 2:09 PM.
