The Brown-throated Wren (Troglodytes (aedon) brunneicollis) is a mostly Mexican bird

Bird

Birds are feathered, winged, bipedal, endothermic , egg-laying, vertebrate animals. Around 10,000 living species and 188 families makes them the most speciose class of tetrapod vertebrates. They inhabit ecosystems across the globe, from the Arctic to the Antarctic. Extant birds range in size from...

 in the wren family, often considered a subspecies of the House Wren

House Wren

The House Wren, Troglodytes aedon, is a very small songbird of the wren family, Troglodytidae. It occurs from Canada to southernmost South America, and is thus the most widely distributed bird in the Americas. It occurs in most suburban areas in its range and it is the single most common wren...

.

Range and habitat

This species is fairly common, common in some areas, in oak

Oak

An oak is a tree or shrub in the genus Quercus , of which about 600 species exist. "Oak" may also appear in the names of species in related genera, notably Lithocarpus...

 and pine

Pine

Pines are trees in the genus Pinus ,in the family Pinaceae. They make up the monotypic subfamily Pinoideae. There are about 115 species of pine, although different authorities accept between 105 and 125 species.-Etymology:...

-oak woods and clearings in the highlands of Mexico

Mexico

The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...

 1600 m to 3000 m elevation) from Oaxaca

Oaxaca

Oaxaca , , officially Estado Libre y Soberano de Oaxaca is one of the 31 states which, along with the Federal District, comprise the 32 federative entities of Mexico. It is divided into 571 municipalities; of which 418 are governed by the system of customs and traditions...

 north to Coahuila

Coahuila

Coahuila, formally Coahuila de Zaragoza , officially Estado Libre y Soberano de Coahuila de Zaragoza is one of the 31 states which, with the Federal District, comprise the 32 Federal Entities of Mexico...

 and Sonora

Sonora

Sonora officially Estado Libre y Soberano de Sonora is one of the 31 states which, with the Federal District, comprise the 32 Federal Entities of Mexico. It is divided into 72 municipalities; the capital city is Hermosillo....

 and in neighboring southeastern Arizona

Arizona

Arizona ; is a state located in the southwestern region of the United States. It is also part of the western United States and the mountain west. The capital and largest city is Phoenix...

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Description

Its appearance is very similar to the House Wren's, 11.5 to 12.5 cm (4.5 to 4.7 inches) long, with brown head and upperparts, barred with black on the wings and narrow tail. It has a stronger buff eyebrow stripe and black eyestripe than the House Wren. Below it is buffy, grayer (more like the House Wren) in subspecies cahooni of northern Mexico and Arizona, more ochre in the other subspecies. The flanks and undertail coverts have dark brown bars.

The voice is also similar to the House Wren's. The song consists of "scratchy, chortling, warbling, and trilling" sounds, and there are scolding calls starting with a ch sound, as well as a mewing call. One sound not in the House Wren's repertoire is "a bright springy trill, tseeeurr or ssreeuur, suggesting Rock Wren

Rock Wren

The Rock Wren is a small songbird of the wren family. It is the only species in the genus Salpinctes.The 12 cm long adults have grey-brown upperparts with small black and white spots and pale grey underparts with a light brown rump...

."

The Brown-throated Wren's behavior is, perhaps unsurprisingly, similar to the House Wren's: typically skulking but not infrequently visible, especially when singing from an open perch.

Classification

Some authorities do not list the Brown-throated Wren as a separate species. An argument for lumping

Lumpers and splitters

Lumping and splitting refers to a well-known problem in any discipline which has to place individual examples into rigorously defined categories. The lumper/splitter problem occurs when there is the need to create classifications and assign examples to them, for example schools of literature,...

 it with the House Wren is that House Wrens in the southwestern United States

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

 and northern Mexico have characters intermediate between the two species.

Here the Brown-throated Wren is considered a separate species following the Handbook of the Birds of the World

Handbook of the Birds of the World

The Handbook of the Birds of the World is a multi-volume series produced by the Spanish publishing house Lynx Edicions. It is the first handbook to cover every known living species of bird. The series is edited by Josep del Hoyo, Andrew Elliott, Jordi Sargatal and David A Christie.So far, 15...

. A 2005 DNA study corroborated this split by suggesting that the Brown-throated Wren was not only a separate species but likely not the House Wren's closest relative. For further information, see Troglodytes

Troglodytes (wren)

Troglodytes is a genus of small passerine birds in the wren family.These wrens are around long. They are brownish above and somewhat paler below, with strong legs. Their short rounded wings and frequently cocked tail have a dark barred pattern. The flight is direct and buzzing.Troglodytes wrens...

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As a separate species, it comprises five subspecies: brunneicollis, cahooni, compositus, nitidus, and vorhiesi.