Wrens are mainly small and inconspicuous, except for their loud and often complex songs. These birds have short wings and they cannot see at night. Several species often hold their tails upright and sleep on the ground. Wrens are insectivorous, eating insects and spiders but they will also eat fish, small rodents and lizards. The dominating colors of their plumage are drab, composed of gray, brown, black and white, and most species show some barring, especially to tail and/or wings. There is no sexual dimorphism in the plumage of wrens, and little difference between young birds and adults.
Wrens are principally a New World Family, distributed from Alaska and Canada to southern Argentina. A single species, the Winter Wren, is found not only in North America but also in Eastern Asia, Europe and marginally into North Africa. They species in a wide range of habitats, ranging from dry, sparsely wooded country to rainforest. The vast majority are found at low levels.
Genus Campylorhynchus
Wren,_Band-backed Campylorhynchus zonatus Found: Mexico, Central Amcerica, Columbia, Ecuador, Venezuela
Image by: 1)
Nick Athanas - Costa Rica 2)
Dominic_Sherony - Costa Rica 3)
Tim - Costa Rica 4)
Jose Amorin
Wren,_Bicolored Campylorhynchus griseus Found: Colombia, Venezuela, Guyana, northern Brazil
Image by: 1)
Tom Friedel (
BirdPhotos.com) - Venezuela
2, 3) Barloventomagico - Venezuela 4)
Nick Athanas - Columbia
Wren,_Bouchard's Campylorhynchus jocosus Found: Mexico
Image by: 1)
Dominic Sherony 2)
Jorge Montejo 3)
Amy McAndrews 4)
Nick Athanas - Mexico
Wren,_Cactus Campylorhynchus brunneicapillus Found: arid regions - southwest United States, Mexico
Image by:
1, 2) Dick Daniels - Arizona 3)
Alan D. Wilson - Edinburg, Texas 4)
Elaine R. Wilson - Borrego Springs, California
5, 6) Alan Vernon 7, 8)
New Jersy Birds - Arizona
1) Juvenile
Wren,_Fasciated Campylorhynchus fasciatus Found: Ecuador, Peru
Image by: 1)
Francesco Veronesi - south Ecuador 2)
Amy McAndrews - Peru 3)
Nick Athanas - Ecuador
Wren,_Giant Campylorhynchus chiapensis Found: Mexico (Chiapas)
Image by: 1)
Nick Athanas 2)
Amy McAndrews 3)
Francesco Veronesi 4)
Jerry Oldenettel
Wren,_Gray-barred Campylorhynchus megalopterus Found: Mexico
Image by: 1)
Ron_Knight Cornell_Univ's_Neotropical_Birds_Online - KirkH1
Wren,_Rufous-naped Campylorhynchus rufinucha Found: Mexico, Central America
Image by: 1)
Joseph_Boone - Costa Rica 2)
Cephas - Costa Rica 3)
Nick Athanas - Costa Rica
Wren,_Spotted Campylorhynchus gularis Found: Mexico
Image by:
1, 2, 3) Emily Hoyer
Wren,_Stripe-backed Campylorhynchus nuchalis Found: savannas of Columbia, Venezuela
Image by: 1)
Fernando_Flores 2)
Jerry Oldenettel - Venezuela 3)
Cristóbal Alvarado Minic - Venezuela
Wren,_Thrush-like Campylorhynchus turdinus Found: Brazil, Bolivia, Columbia, Ecuador, Paragua, Peru
Image by: 1)
Carlos_Henrique 2)
Hector_Bottai - Brazil 3, 4)
Nick Athanas - Brazil, Ecuador
3)
C. t. unicolor 4)
C. t. hypostictus
Wren,_White-headed Campylorhynchus albobrunneus Found: Panama, Columbia, Venezuela
Image by: 1)
Nick Athanas - Columbia 2)
Tony_Castro - Panama
Wren,_Yucatan Campylorhynchus yucatanicus Found: northern Yucatán Peninsula
of Mexico
Image by: 1)
Amy_McAndrews 2)
Luis Guillermo
Genus Cantorchilus
Wren,_Bay Cantorchilus nigricapillus Found: Columbia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Nicaragua, Panama
Image by: 1)
Jerry Oldenettel -Costa Rica 2)
Nick Athanas - Ecuador
Wren,_Buff-breasted Cantorchilus leucotis Found: Panama, middle and northern South America
Image by: 1)
Hector Bottai - Brazil 2)
JulaniPhotos 3)
Clodomiro_Esteves
Wren,_Fawn-breasted Cantorchilus guarayanus Found: mainly Bolivia; also Brazil, Paraguay
Image by: 1)
Claudio_Timm 2)
Carlos_Henrique
Wren,_Gray Cantorchilus griseus Found: northwest Brazil
Image by: 1)
Cornell_Univ's_Neotropical_Birds_Online - Fabio_Olmos
Wren,_Long-billed Cantorchilus longirostris Found: eastern Brazil
Image by: 1)
Eveha 2, 3)
Nick Athanas - Brazil 4)
Dario_Sanches
Wren,_Plain Cantorchilus modestus Found: Mexico, Central America
Image by: 1)
Don_Faulkner - Costa Rica 2)
David Rodríguez Arias - Costa Rica 3)
Cornell_Univ's_Neotropical_Birds_Online - Luke_Seitz
Wren,_Riverside Cantorchilus semibadius Found: mainly Costa Rica; also Panama
Image by: 1)
David_Rodriguez_Arias 2, 3)
Cornell_Univ's_Neotropical_Birds_Online - Larry_Servio
Wren_Stripe-breasted Cantorchilus thoracicus Found: Honduras, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, and Panama
Image by: 1)
Francesco_Veronesi 2)
Cornell_Univ's_Neotropical_Birds_Online - Jose_David_Siguenza_Leiva
1) Adult and juvenile
Wren,_Stripe-throated Cantorchilus leucopogon Found: Columbia, Ecuador, Panama
Image by:
1, 2)
Nick Athanas - Ecuador
Wren,_Superciliated Cantorchilus superciliaris Found: Ecuador, Peru
Image by: 1)
Nick Athanas - Peru 2)
David_Cook - Peru
Genus Catherpes - 1 species
Wren, Canyon Catherpes mexicanus Found: dry, rocky environments - west United States, Mexico
Image by: 1)
J N Stuart - New Mexico 2)
Julio Mulero - California 3)
Jerry Oldenettel - New Mexico 4)
Jon David Nelson
Genus Cinnycerthia
These species have reddish-brown plumage; dark bars on wings, tail; short bill.
Wren,_Fulvous Cinnycerthia fulva Found: Bolivia, southern Peru
Image by: 1)
Claudio_Timm
Wren,_Peruvian Cinnycerthia peruana Found: Peru
Image by:
1, 2)
Nick Athanas
Wren,_Rufous Cinnycerthia unirufa Found: Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, Venezuela
Image by: 1)
Nick Athanas - Ecuador
Wren,_Sharpe's Cinnycerthia olivascens Found: Columbian, Ecuador, northern Peru
Image by: 1)
José Loaiza 2)
Nick Athanas - Ecuador
Genus Cistothorus
Wren,_Apolinar's Cistothorus apolinari Found: Andes of central Columbia
Image by: 1)
Neil Orlando Diaz Martinez 2)
Nick Athanas - Columbia
Wren,_Marsh Cistothorus palustris Found: Marshes in tall vegetation - North America
Image by: 1)
Winnu - British Columbia 2)
tgreyfox - Vancouver, Canada
3)
Alan Wilson - California 4)
juvethski - Vancouver 5)
Steve Arena - Massachusetts
Wren,_Merida Cistothorus meridae Found: Andes of western Venezuela
Image by: 1)
Cornell_Univ's_Neotropical_Birds_Online - Margareta_Wieser
Wren,_Sedge Cistothorus platensis Found: short grass and marshes - east North America, South America
Image by:
1, 2, 3,
4)
Nick Athanas - Ecuador, Brazil, Argentina, Falkand Islands 5)
SolidElectronics - Ontario 6)
Ken Schneider - Illinois
1)
C. p. aequatorialis 2)
C. p, polyglottus 3)
C. p. tucumanus 4)
C. p. falklandicus
Genus Cyphorhinus
Wren,_Musician Cyphorhinus arada Found: Amazon rainforest of South America
Image by: 1)
Nick Athanas - Ecuador 2)
Cornell_Univ's_Neotropical_Birds_Online - MARCELO_CAMACHO
Wren,_Song Cyphorhinus phaeocephalus Found: Honduras to Ecuador
Image by:
1, 2) Dave Curtis - Panama 3)
Nick Athanas - Ecuador
Genus Ferminia - 1 species
Wren,_Zapata Ferminia cerverai Found: Zapata Swamp, Cuba
Image by: 1)
Dominic_Sherony 2)
Jerry_Oldenettel 3)
Cornell_Univ's_Neotropical_Birds_Online - Wren,_Zapata
Genus Henicorhina
Wren,_Bar-winged_Wood- Henicorhina leucoptera Found: mainly Peru; also Ecuador
Image by: 1)
Ana_Agreda 2)
Cornell_Univ's_Neotropical_Birds_Online - Luke_Steitz
Wren,_Gray-breasted_Wood- Henicorhina leucophrys Found: Mexico to Bolivia
Image by: 1)
Nick Athanas - Columbia 2)
Francesco_Veronesi
Wren,_Munchique_Wood-Henicorhina negreti Found: western Columbia
Image by:
1, 2) Brendan_Ryan
Wren,_White-breasted_Wood- Henicorhina leucosticta Found: southern Mexico to northern South America
Image by: 1)
Alejandro_Tamayo 2)
Andres_Cuervo 3)
Nick Athanas - Costa Rica
1) Juvenile
Genus Hylorchilus
Wren,_Nava's Hylorchilus navai Found: southern Mexico
Image by: 1)
Francesco_Veronesi 2)
Nick_Athanas
Wren,_Sumichrast's Hylorchilus sumichrasti Found: southern Mexico
Image by: 1)
Cornell_Univ's_Neotropical_Birds_Online - A_Horden 2)
Chivirin 3)
Jerry_Oldenettel
Genus Microcerculus
Wren,_Flutist Microcerculus ustulatus Found: Brazil, Guyana, Venezuela
Image by: 1, 2)
David_Ascanio Cornell_Univ's_Neotropical_Birds_Online - Anselmo_d'Affonseca, David_Ascanio
Wren,_Nightingale Microcerculus philomela Found: Belize, Costa Rica, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, Nicaragua
Image by:
1, 2) David Rodríguez Arias
Wren,_Scaly-breasted also Southern Nigthingale-Wren
Microcerculus marginatus Found: Costa Rica, Panama, South America
Image by: 1)
Andres_Cuervo 2, 3, 4) Nick Athanas - Ecuador, Panama, Columbia
2)
M. m. taeniatus 3)
M. m. luscinia 4)
M. m. occidentalis
Wren,_Wing-banded Microcerculus bambla Found: Brazil, Ecuador, French Guiana, Guyana, Peru, Suriname, Venezuela
Image by: 1)
Nick Athanas 2)
Cornell_Univ's_Neotropical_Birds_Online - Silvia_Faustino_Linhares
Genus Odontorchilus
These small grey wrens are relatively long-tailed (giving them a superficially gnatcatcher-like appearance), and, uniquely in the family, they live in the canopy and subcanopy of humid forest.
Wren,_Gray-mantled Odontorchilus branickii Found: Andes from southern Columbia to northern Bolivia
Image by: 1)
Joseph_Smit 2)
ProAves Colombia - Ecuador
1)
Cornell_Univ's_Neotropical_Birds_Online - Glenn_Bartley, Joel_Rosenthal
Wren,_Tooth-billed Catherpes mexicanus Found: mainly Brazil; also bordering Bolivia
Image by: 1)
Nick Athanas - Brazil 2)
Jorge_Montejo - Brazil
Genus Pheugopedius
Wren,_Black-bellied Pheugopedius fasciatoventris Found: Costa Rica, Panama, Columbia
Image by: 1, 2)
Cornell_Univ's_Neotropical_Birds_Online - Jorge_Gabriel_Campos, Gualberto_Becerra
Wren,_Black-throated Pheugopedius atrogularis Found:Costa Rica, Nicaragua, Panama
Image by: 1)
Cornell_Univ's_Neotropical_Birds_Online - David_Seible
Wren,_Coraya Pheugopedius coraya Found: northern South America
Image by: 1)
Philip_Stouffer - Brazil
1)
Cornell_Univ's_Neotropical_Birds_Online - Kester_Clarke
Wren,_Happy Pheugopedius felix Found: Mexico
Image by: 1)
Francesco_Veronesi
Wren,_Inca Pheugopedius eisenmanni Found: Peru
Image by: 1) Nick Athanas
Wren,_Moustached Pheugopedius genibarbis Found: Bolivia, Brazil, Peru
Image by: 1)
Nick Athanas - Brazil 2)
Francesco_Veronesi - Brazil
Wren,_Plain-tailed Pheugopedius euophrys Found: southern Columbia, Ecuador, northern Peru
Image by: 1)
Nick Athanas 2)
Browerk - Ecuador
Wren,_Rufous-breasted Pheugopedius rutilus Found: Costa, Rica, Columbia, Venezuela, Tobago.
Image by: 1)
Francesco_Veronesi - Panama 2)
Nick Athanas - Panama
Wren,_Sooty-headed Pheugopedius spadix Found: mainly Columbia; also Panama
Image by:
Wren,_Speckled-breasted Pheugopedius sclateri Found: mainly Ecuador; also Colubia, Peru
Image by: 1, 2)
Nick Athanas - Ecuador
1)
P. s, sclateri 2)
P. s. paucimaculatus
Wren,_Spot-breasted Pheugopedius maculipectus Found: Mexico, Central America
Image by: 1)
Carol_Foil - Belize 2)
Francesco_Veronesi - Mexico
Wren,_Whiskered Pheugopedius mystacalis Found: Colombia, Ecuador, Venezuela
Image by:
Genus Salpinctes - 1 species
Wren, Rock Salpinctes obsoletus Found: west North America, Central America
Image by: 1)
Jeff Whitlock - Texas 2)
Marcel Holyoak - California 3)
Alan D. Wilson - New Mexico 4)
Linda Tanner
Genus Thryomanes - 1 species
Wren,_Berwick's Thryomanes bewickii Found: North America
Image by: 1)
Charlie Westerinen - Nevada 2)
Becky_Matsubara 3)
Minette Layne - Washington 4)
Ingrid Taylor - Oregon
Genus Thryophilus
Most species are rufous or brown, and have black and white streaks on the side of the face.
Wren,_Antioquia Thryophilus sernai Found: Columbia
Image by: 1)
Cornell_Univ's_Neotropical_Birds_Online - Carlos_Esteban_Lara
Wren,_Banded Thryophilus pleurostictus Found: Mexico, Central America
Image by: 1)
Jerry_Oldenettel - Mexico 2)
Nick Athanas - Mexico
Wren,_Niceforo's Thryophilus nicefori Found: Columbia
Image by: 1)
Cornell_Univ's_Neotropical_Birds_Online - Chris_Bell
Wren,_Rufous-and-white Thryophilus rufalbus Found: Mexico, Central America, Columbia, Venezuela
Image by: 1)
Andres_Cuervo 2)
Aaron_Maizlish - Panama 3)
_Cornell_Univ's_Neotropical_Birds_Online - Rual_Vega
Wren,_Sinaloa Thryophilus sinaloa Found: Mexico
Image by: 1)
Seabamirum 2)
Nigel_Voaden Cornell_Univ's_Neotropical_Birds_Online - Nigel_Voaden, Glen_Tepke
Genus Thryothorus - 1 species
Wren,_Carolina Thryothorus ludovicianus Found: North America (eastern)
Image by: 1)
Don Poncamo - Texas
2, 4, 5, 6, 7) Dick Daniels - Carolinas 3)
New Jersy Birds 8)
Amy McAndrews - Mexico
Genus Thryorchilus-1 species
Wren,_Timberline Thryorchilus browni Found: Costa Rica, Panama
Image by: 1)
Nick Athanas - Costa Rica 2)
Michael_Woodruff - Costa Rica 3)
Pable Siles.
Genus Troglodytes
Wren,_Clarion Troglodytes tanneri Found: Clarión Island off western Mexico
Image by: 1)
Cornell_Univ's_Neotropical_Birds_Online - Amy_McAndrews
Wren,_Cobb's Troglodytes cobbi Found: Flakland Islands
Image by: 1)
GeForce3 2, 3)
Nick Athanas
Wren,_Eurasian Troglodytes troglodytes Found: Europe, Asia
Image by: 1)
Robert Lorch 2)
Jan_Svetlik 3)
Agustin_Povedano 4)
Koshy_Koshy - India
Wren,_House Troglodytes aedon Found: The Americas
Image by: 1)
Calibas - Colorado 2)
New
Jersy Birds - New Jersey 3)
Per Verdonk - Michigan 4)
S. King - New Mexico 5)
Ted Llovet - California 6)
Ken Schneider - Illinois
7) Dick Daniels - Peru
8) Dick - near Penonome, Panama
Southern House Wren
Troglodytes aedon musculus Found: South America
Image by:
1, 2, 3, 4)
Dario Sanches - Brazil
Wren,_Mountain Troglodytes solstitialis Found: the Andes from Venezuela to Argentina
Image by: 1)
Francesco_Veronesi - Ecuador 2, 3)
Nick Athanas - Ecuador, Argentina
2)
T. s. solstitialis 3)
T. s, auricularis
Wren,_Ochraceous Troglodytes ochraceus Found: Costa Rica, Panama
Image by: 1)
Nick Athanas - Costa Rica 2)
Cornell_Univ's_Neotropical_Birds_Online - Jorge_Eduardo in Costa Rica
Wren,_Pacific Troglodytes pacificus Found: west North America
Image by: 1)
Julio Mulero - California 2)
Brian & Jessi - Washington 3)
Jacob_McGinnis
Wren,_Rufous-browed Troglodytes rufociliatus Found: El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, and Nicaragua
Image by: 1)
Alan_Harper - Honduras 2)
Dominic Sherony
Wren,_Santa_Marta Troglodytes monticola Found: Santa Marta mountains of northern Columbia
Image by: 1, 2)
Cornell_Univ's_Neotropical_Birds_Online - Alonso Quevedo_Gil
Wren,_Socorro Troglodytes sissonii Found: Socorro Island of Mexico
Image by: 1)
Cornell_Univ's_Neotropical_Birds_Online - Amy_McAndrews
Wren,_Tepui Troglodytes rufulus Found: southeast Venezuela and adjacent Brazil, Guyana
Image by: 1)
Cornell_Univ's_Neotropical_Birds_Online - Jose_Almir_Jacomelli
Wren,_Winter Troglodytes hiemalis Found: east North America
Image by:
1, 2) Kelly Azar - Pennsylvania 3)
Ed Gaillard - New York
3) after a bath
Genus Uropsila - 1 species
Wren,_White-bellied Uropsila leucogastra Found: Mexico, Belize, Guatemala, Honduras
Image by: 1)
Cornell_Univ's_Neotropical_Birds_Online - Romel_Romero 2)
Nick Athanas - Mexico
There is disagreement over where to place the Donacobius. Some have suggested that they are relsted to wrens.
Genus Donacobius - 1 species
Donacobius,_Black-capped Donacobius atricapilla Found: Central and South America
Image by: 1)
Claudio Timm - the Amazon, Brazil 2)
Dario Sanches 3)
Carlos_Henrique 4)
Cristiano Crolle - Argentina 5)
Nick Athanas - Brazil