Bay Wren - BirdForum Opus

Male, subspecies castaneus
Stanley Jones
Cocle Province, Panama, February, 2011

Cantorchilus nigricapillus

Thryothorus nigricapillus

Identification

A relatively large wren at 14.5cm (5.25in), dramatically marked with intricate black and white facial patterns, rufous back, and finely barred underparts and tail.

Variation

From central Panama through the rest of its range in Central America the throat is white and the rest of the underside is rufous, almost the same color as the upperparts. East and south of central Panama, the base color of the underside becomes pale with variable amounts of barring.

Distribution

Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Nicaragua, and Panama. In South America, it is found in the lowlands (below 900m.) on the west side of the Andes only.

Taxonomy

Subspecies

There are 7 subspecies^[1]:

• C. n. costaricensis:

• Caribbean lowlands of south-eastern Nicaragua, Costa Rica and north-western Panama

• C. n. castaneus:

• Panama (Veraguas to Canal Zone)

• C. n. odicus:

• Panama (Escudo de Veraguas Island, Bocas del Toro)

• T. n. schottii:

• Pacific slope of eastern Panama (Darién) and north-western Colombia

• C. n. reditus:

• Caribbean slope of eastern Panama (eastern Colón, San Blas)

• C. n. connectens: has full barring across the chest.

• South-western Colombia (Cauca and Nariño) to north-eastern Ecuador

• C. n. nigricapillus: has only partial bars on chest; the center of the chest is white.

• Tropical western Ecuador (Esmeraldas to El Oro)

Was formerly placed in genus Thryothorus like all other species of the genus Cantorchilus.

Habitat

Lowland humid forest.

Behaviour

Often in pairs. Not secretive - comes out of cover frequently, and will come to heavily vegetated gardens.

Vocalisation

Quite vocal, with a variety of chirps and a long, complex song.

References

1. Clements, JF. 2011. The Clements Checklist of Birds of the World. 6th ed., with updates to August 2011. Ithaca: Cornell Univ. Press. ISBN 978-0801445019. Spreadsheet available at http://www.birds.cornell.edu/clementschecklist/downloadable-clements-checklist
2. BF Member observations

• List of references

Recommended Citation

• BirdForum Opus contributors. (2025) Bay Wren. In: BirdForum, the forum for wild birds and birding. Retrieved 21 January 2025 from https://www.birdforum.net/opus/Bay_Wren

External Links

Search for photos of Bay Wren in the gallery

GSearch checked for 2020 platform.