Rufous-breasted wren

The rufous-breasted wren (Pheugopedius rutilus) is a small songbird of the family Troglodytidae. It is found in Colombia, Costa Rica, Panama, Trinidad and Tobago, and Venezuela.<ref name=IOC11.1>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

Taxonomy and systematics

The rufous-breasted wren was formerly placed in the genus Thryothorus which in the old, broad sense was a motley assemblage of similar-looking wrens.<ref name=Mann>Template:Cite journal</ref> Since being moved into genus Pheugopedius it has at times been treated as conspecific with speckle-breasted wren (P. sclateri) and spot-breasted wren (P. maculipectus). They do form a superspecies.<ref name=RBWR-BOW>Kroodsma, D. E. and D. Brewer (2020). Rufous-breasted Wren (Pheugopedius rutilus), 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.rubwre1.01 retrieve June 5, 2021</ref><ref name=SACClist>Remsen, J. V., Jr., J. I. Areta, E. Bonaccorso, S. Claramunt, A. Jaramillo, D. F. Lane, J. F. Pacheco, M. B. Robbins, F. G. Stiles, and K. J. Zimmer. Version 23 May 2021. A classification of the bird species of South America. American Ornithological Society. https://www.museum.lsu.edu/~Remsen/SACCBaseline.htm retrieved May 24, 2021</ref>

The rufous-breasted wren has seven subspecies:<ref name=IOC11.1/>

• P. r. hyperythrus Salvin & Godman (1880)
• P. r. tobagensis Hellmayr (1921)
• P. r. rutilus Vieillot (1819)
• P. r. intensus Todd (1932)
• P. r. laetus Bangs (1898)
• P. r. interior Todd (1932)
• P. r. hypospodius Salvin & Godman (1880)

Description

Adult rufous-breasted wrens of the nominate subspecies are Template:Convert long and weigh Template:Convert. Their crowns and upperparts are warm brown; their tail is gray-brown with heavy dark brown bars. They have a white supercilium with a black edge above it. Their face and throat are speckled black and white. The chest is bright chestnut. The rest of the underparts a duller chestnut with a grayish white center to the belly. Juveniles are duller than the adults and the facial markings are less distinct. The facial pattern and rufous breast are unique in the genus.<ref name=RBWR-BOW/>

P. r. hyperythrus is similar to the nominate with the addition of blackish spots on the chest. P. r. laetus also has blackish spots but its underparts are colored richer than those of hyperythrus. P. r. hypospodius compared to the nominate is more reddish on the crown and back and its chest is more tawny and the flanks duller. P. r. interiorTemplate:Apostrophes underparts are pale ochre and its flanks pale olive brown. P. r. intensus is more richly colored than the nominate and often has some spotting. P. r. tobagensisTemplate:Apostrophe bill is heavier than the nominate's; it also has longer wings and a duller chest.<ref name=RBWR-BOW/>

Distribution and habitat

The subspecies of rufous-breasted wren are found thus:<ref name=RBWR-BOW/>

• P. r. hyperythrus, Pacific slope of Costa Rica and western Panama
• P. r. tobagensis, Tobago
• P. r. rutilus, the Coastal Range of northern Venezuela, both slopes of the Andes of northwestern Venezuela, and Trinidad
• P. r. intensus, southwestern Venezuela's Táchira state
• P. r. laetus, far northern Colombia and adjacent northern Venezuela
• P. r. interior, western slope of Colombia's Eastern Andes
• P. r. hypospodius, eastern slope of Colombia's Eastern Andes

The species inhabits rainforest and cloudforest, preferring thickets, second growth, and edges to the forest interior. In elevation it ranges from sea level to Template:Convert.<ref name=RBWR-BOW/>

Behavior

Feeding

The rufous-breasted wren forages in pairs or family groups, usually in the undergrowth but sometimes much higher in trees. It primarily eats insects (mainly beetles, bugs and flies)<ref name="sta.uwi.edu">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> and spiders<ref name="sta.uwi.edu"/> but has been reported to eat seeds and occasionally frogs and lizards<ref name="sta.uwi.edu"/> as well.<ref name=RBWR-BOW/>

Breeding

The rufous-breasted wren's nest is a large sphere of leaves and grass with a side entrance, concealed in tangled vegetation as high as Template:Cvt above ground. The female incubates the clutch of two to four eggs. Only the female incubates the eggs but both parents feed the nestlings.<ref name=RBWR-BOW/>

Vocalization

The rufous-breasted wren's songs vary throughout its range. Both sexes sing as a duet but sometimes the male sings alone. Some examples of songs are (Costa Rica) [1], (Panama) [2], (Colombia) [3], (Venezuela) [4], and (Trinidad) [5]. Its call, "churring and raspy", does not seem to vary as much [6].<ref name=RBWR-BOW/>

Status

The IUCN has assessed the rufous-breasted wren as being of Least Concern.<ref name=IUCN/> It is considered common through much of its range and occurs in several protected areas.<ref name=RBWR-BOW/>

Further reading

• Template:Cite book

External links

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