The spotted wren (''Campylorhynchus gularis'') is a species of

bird Birds are a group of warm-blooded vertebrates constituting the class Aves (), characterised by feathers, toothless beaked jaws, the laying of hard-shelled eggs, a high metabolic rate, a four-chambered heart, and a strong yet lightweig ...

in the family Troglodytidae. It is

endemic Endemism is the state of a species being found in a single defined geographic location, such as an island, state, nation, country or other defined zone; organisms that are indigenous to a place are not endemic to it if they are also found else ...

Mexico Mexico (Spanish: México), officially the United Mexican States, is a country in the southern portion of North America. It is bordered to the north by the United States; to the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; to the southeast by Guatema ...

Taxonomy and systematics

The spotted wren has sometimes been considered

conspecific Biological specificity is the tendency of a characteristic such as a behavior or a biochemical variation to occur in a particular species. Biochemist Linus Pauling stated that "Biological specificity is the set of characteristics of living organis ...

with Boucard's wren (''Campylorhynchus jocosus'') but molecular data show that they are not closely related. The species is

monotypic In biology, a monotypic taxon is a taxonomic group (taxon) that contains only one immediately subordinate taxon. A monotypic species is one that does not include subspecies or smaller, infraspecific taxa. In the case of genera, the term "unispe ...

.Kroodsma, D. E., D. Brewer, and E. de Juana (2020). Spotted Wren (''Campylorhynchus gularis''), version 1.0. In Birds of the World (J. del Hoyo, A. Elliott, J. Sargatal, D. A. Christie, and E. de Juana, Editors). Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Ithaca, NY, USA. https://doi.org/10.2173/bow.spowre1.01 retrieved May 31, 2021

Description

The spotted wren is long and weighs . Adults of both sexes have a chestnut crown and rufescent brown shoulders and back with dull black and buffy markings. The tail is gray-brown with darker bars. They have a white supercilium and a brown eyestripe above buffy white cheeks. Their chin, throat, and chest are off-white and the sides of the chest have blackish spots. The belly and lower flanks are buffy with faint barring. The juvenile's crown is dull black, the markings on the back are fainter than the adults', and the chest is pale buff without the adults' spots.

Distribution and habitat

The spotted wren is found in two areas of Mexico separated by unsuitable habitat. In the west it ranges from southeastern Sonora south to western

México Mexico ( Spanish: México), officially the United Mexican States, is a country in the southern portion of North America. It is bordered to the north by the United States; to the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; to the southeast by Guatem ...

state and western Morelos. East of that band it ranges from southern Nuevo León, southwestern

Tamaulipas Tamaulipas (), officially the Free and Sovereign State of Tamaulipas ( es, Estado Libre y Soberano de Tamaulipas), is a state in the northeast region of Mexico; one of the 31 states which, along with Mexico City, comprise the 32 Federal Entiti ...

, and central San Luis Potosí south to

Hidalgo Hidalgo may refer to: People * Hidalgo (nobility), members of the Spanish nobility * Hidalgo (surname) Places Mexico * Hidalgo (state), in central Mexico * Hidalgo, Coahuila, a town in the north Mexican state of Coahuila * Hidalgo, Nuevo Le� ...

. It occurs in several habitat types, from dry oak and pine-oak woodlands to stands of shrubs and cactus to rocky slopes with palms. In elevation it is generally found between but ranges up to in

Colima Colima (), officially the Free and Sovereign State of Colima ( es, Estado Libre y Soberano de Colima), is one of the 31 states that make up the 32 Federal Entities of Mexico. It shares its name with its capital and main city, Colima. Colima i ...

Behavior

Feeding

The spotted wren actively forages in small groups, usually on or near the ground but as high as . It probes bark crevices, epiphytes, and among rocks for invertebrates. It also eats vegetable matter like cactus seeds and has been seen to prey on small lizards.

Breeding

The spotted wren's breeding phenology is virtually unknown. It builds a domed nest with side entrance like others of its genus. The clutch size appears to be two to four.

Vocalization

The spotted wren's song has been described as "a series of harsh churring notes" and "a series of unmusical gurgling phrases

Its call is "a gruff 'cheh-cheh-cheht'

Status

The IUCN has assessed the spotted wren as being of Least Concern. "Abundance varies; quite sparse and uncommon in some areas, and very common in suitable habitat in others."

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q788839 spotted wren Birds of Mexico Endemic birds of Mexico Birds of the Sierra Madre Occidental Birds of the Sierra Madre Oriental Birds of the Trans-Mexican Volcanic Belt spotted wren spotted wren Taxonomy articles created by Polbot