Bicolored Wren
Campylorhynchus griseus
Large wren found in lowlands of northern South America. Striking plumage: rufous-brown above and clean white below with black crown and bold white eyebrow. Long tail has white tips. Unlike any other wren in range. Occurs in pairs and small family groups in open woodlands and scrubby habitats, often hopping around conspicuously in yards and gardens.
Identification
The bicolored wren is the largest South American wren and second in size only to the giant wren overall in the family. It is 21 to 22 cm (8.3 to 8.7 in) long and weighs 37 to 46.5 g (1.31 to 1.64 oz). The sexes are similar. The nominate adults have dark chocolate crowns and napes and their upperparts a paler chocolate. An off-white supercilium separates a dark brown stripe through the eye from the crown and the rest of the face is also white. Their tail is dark brown; all of the tail feathers except the middle pair have a white band near the end. The throat and the entire underparts are white. C. g. albicilius is rustier than the nominate; so is bicolor but its rump is lighter. C. g. minor is smaller and its nape and upper back are blackish brown. C. g. pallidus is paler and more gray than the nominate and has a darker crown. The juveniles are grayer than the adults; their caps are mottled gray-brown and their underparts are grayish white.
Taxonomy
The bicolored wren has six subspecies:<p>It has sometimes been treated as conspecific with the giant wren (Campylorhynchus chiapensis) and might form a superspecies with it. Subspecies C. g. zimmeri has been considered to be an intergrade between albicius and the nominate griseus.
- Scientific name
- Campylorhynchus griseus
- Authority
- (Swainson, 1838)
- Order
- Passeriformes
- Family
- Troglodytidae
- Genus
- Campylorhynchus
Range and habitat
The subspecies of bicolored wren are distributed thus:<p>The bicolored wren inhabits areas with scattered trees and bushes and is completely absent from forests and wide open areas. C. g. bicolor occurs in arid thorn scrub and the other subspecies in significantly more humid areas. In elevation it ranges up to 2,100 m (6,900 ft) in Colombia and 1,600 m (5,200 ft) in Venezuela.
- Migration
- Resident species
Behavior
The bicolored wren forages in trees and on the ground. Its diet is primarily invertebrates, but it also eats vegetable matter such as berries.<p>The bicolored wren has two breeding seasons in Venezuela, January to March and May to August; its season in Colombia has not been determined. It is a cooperative breeder with blood relatives helping the nesting pair defend the nest and feed the young. The nest is a dome made of grass and other fibers and with a side entrance. It is placed high in a tree and is well concealed. The wren sometimes also uses old domed nests of other species. The clutch size is three to five.<p>The male bicolored wren's song is "a series of multiple loud gurgling notes" [1]. The female's is similar but includes a trill. The songs vary widely across the species' range. Its calls are "mostly harsh and grating" [2].
Conservation
- Population trend
- stable
Photos
Distribution
Bird Calls
Other Birds
Yellow Longbill
Macrosphenus flavicans
An unusual warbler with a long bill and yellow eyes. Brownish above and dull yellow below with a gray head and whitish throat. Found in rainforest, mainly in dense tangles at middle levels, usually in pairs or small groups. Similar in appearance to other longbills, but with a good view, separated by the coloration of the underparts. Most often detected by the distinctive song: a long series of clear whistled notes in which each note is slightly lower in pitch. The pattern is similar to that of Sabine’s Puffback, and the individual notes sound very batis-like.
Jamaican Pewee
Contopus pallidus
A small, plain woodland species often found flycatching from exposed perches at middle levels in the forest; often flicks tail once upon landing. Note that this species has relatively inconspicuous wingbars and no eyering. The similar Eastern Wood-Pewee has distinctly longer primaries (assessed by looking at how far the primaries extend beyond tertials), whitish wingbars, and rarely flicks its tail upon landing. The Greater Antillean Elaenia has bold white wingbars and an entirely dark bill unlike the Jamaican Pewee. Vocalizations include plaintive “wee-wee,” with the second note louder and both notes upslurred, a similarly plaintive ‘uh-weee-oo” with the middle portion upslurred, and a slightly rough, whistled “weeah.”
New Guinea Woodcock
Scolopax rosenbergii
A large, dark shorebird with deep chestnut upperside and breast patterned with black banding and a white belly. Dumpy, with a short tail and long bill. Confined to New Guinea, where it inhabits wet montane forest, nearby thickets, and alpine grassland. Most often seen on the forest floor or in crepuscular aerial display flights. Unmistakable, as the only forest-dwelling shorebird in the mountains on the island. In display flight, gives deep “grrr-grrr-grrr” calls and a thin, high-pitched, disyllabic “chuwit” note heard regularly.
Start Your Bird Watching Journey
Identify a bird outdoors and keep the field guide close for your next observation.