The Sinaloa wren (''Thryophilus sinaloa'') 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 els ...

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 Guate ...

, with almost annual sightings in the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 U.S. state, states, a Washington, D.C., federal district, five ma ...

, in Arizona.Soberanes-González, C. A., M. d. C. Arizmendi, and T. S. Schulenberg (2020). Sinaloa Wren (''Thryophilus sinaloa''), version 1.0. In Birds of the World (T. S. Schulenberg, Editor). Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Ithaca, NY, USA. https://doi.org/10.2173/bow.sinwre1.01 retrieved June 5, 2021

Taxonomy and systematics

The Sinaloa wren has three subspecies, the nominate ''Thryophilus sinaloa sinaloa'', ''T. s. cinereus'', and ''T. s. russeus''.

Description

The Sinaloa wren is long and weighs . The nominate adults have dull brown upperparts that become more rufescent on the rump. The tail is rufous brown with black or dusky bars. They have a white to buffy white

supercilium The supercilium is a plumage feature found on the heads of some bird species. It is a stripe which runs from the base of the bird's beak above its eye, finishing somewhere towards the rear of the bird's head.Dunn and Alderfer (2006), p. 10 Also k ...

, a black streak behind the eye, and dusky-striped white cheeks. The sides of the neck have broad black and white streaks. The throat and breast are white darkening to pale brown on the flanks. Juveniles are similar but their flanks are paler and more cinnamon and the facial markings less distinct. The adult ''T. s. cinereus'' is paler and grayer than the nominate. ''T. s. russeus'' upperparts are a deep russet brown.

Distribution and habitat

The Sinaloa wren is endemic to Mexico though individuals are seen almost annually in southern Arizona. ''T. s. cinereus'' is the northernmost subspecies; it is found from northeastern

Sonora Sonora (), officially Estado Libre y Soberano de Sonora ( en, Free and Sovereign State of Sonora), is one of the 31 states which, along with Mexico City, comprise the Federal Entities of Mexico. The state is divided into 72 municipalities; the ...

south to northern

Sinaloa Sinaloa (), officially the Estado Libre y Soberano de Sinaloa ( en, Free and Sovereign State of Sinaloa), is one of the 31 states which, along with Mexico City, comprise the Federal Entities of Mexico. It is divided into 18 municipalities and ...

and western Chihuahua and as a visitor to Arizona. ''T. s. sinaloa'' is found from central Sinaloa and western

Durango Durango (), officially named Estado Libre y Soberano de Durango ( en, Free and Sovereign State of Durango; Tepehuán: ''Korian''; Nahuatl: ''Tepēhuahcān''), is one of the 31 states which make up the 32 Federal Entities of Mexico, situated i ...

south to

Michoacán Michoacán, formally Michoacán de Ocampo (; Purépecha: ), officially the Free and Sovereign State of Michoacán de Ocampo ( es, Estado Libre y Soberano de Michoacán de Ocampo), is one of the 32 states which comprise the Federal Entities of ...

. ''T. s. russeus'' is found from central

Guerrero Guerrero is one of the 32 states that comprise the Administrative divisions of Mexico, 32 Federal Entities of Mexico. It is divided in Municipalities of Guerrero, 81 municipalities and its capital city is Chilpancingo and its largest city is Acap ...

east to western

Oaxaca ) , population_note = , population_rank = 10th , timezone1 = CST , utc_offset1 = −6 , timezone1_DST = CDT , utc_offset1_DST = −5 , postal_code_type = Postal ...

. The species inhabits the understory of

deciduous forest In the fields of horticulture and Botany, the term ''deciduous'' () means "falling off at maturity" and "tending to fall off", in reference to trees and shrubs that seasonally shed leaves, usually in the autumn; to the shedding of petals, af ...

and its edges, both undisturbed and second growth. It also occurs in plantations.

Behavior

Feeding

Though no specifics have been published, the Sinaloa wren is known to be insectivorous. It forages mostly near the ground but occasionally as high as above it. It is assumed to capture its prey mostly by gleaning.

Breeding

The Sinaloa wren breeds between April and July, after the rainy season. The nest's shape has been likened to a flask; it is draped over a slender branch with the body on one side and the tunnel entrance on the other. The principal material is grass. It is often placed near colonies of aggressive ants or wasps. The clutch size is four or five.

Vocalization

The Sinaloa wren has a complex song. It has variously been described as "loud and variable...composed of rich phrases" and "clear gurgling whistles...with a rapid series of short trills

Calls include "a rough buzzy rasp

and "a hard, dry chatter

Status

The IUCN has assessed the Sinaloa wren as being of Least Concern. Its population is estimated to exceed 500,000 individuals. "Sinaloa wren can occupy scrub and second growth, and so is perhaps less vulnerable than are some other species of he tropical deciduous forest"

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q3539841 Sinaloa wren Birds of the Sierra Madre Occidental Birds of Mexico Endemic birds of Mexico Sinaloa wren Taxa named by Spencer Fullerton Baird Taxonomy articles created by Polbot