Ochraceous Wren
Encyclopedia
The Ochraceous Wren, Troglodytes ochraceus, is a small songbird
of the wren
family. It is an endemic resident breeding species in Costa Rica
and eastern Panama
. It is sometimes considered to be conspecific with the Mountain Wren
, Troglodytes solstitialis, of South America
.
It breeds in mountains at 900 m to 2500 m altitude (sometimes up to 3000 m in wet epiphyte
-laden forests, and semi-open areas such as woodland edges, tall second growth and pasture with trees. Its cup nest is constructed in a swinging mass of epiphytes hanging from a branch 5–15 m high in a tree. The eggs are incubated by the female alone for about two weeks to hatching, and the young fledge in about the same length of time again.
The adult Ochraceous Wren is 9.5 cm long and weighs 9.5 g. It resembles the House Wren
, but is brighter with broad yellow-buff supercilia
. It has pale brown upperparts with buff underparts, becoming whitish on the belly. The sides of the head are a rich ochre colour. Young birds are similar but have paler supercilia and mottled underparts. The call of this species is a thin peeew, and the song is mixture of whistles and trills.
These birds forage actively in vegetation in pairs, family groups, or as part of a mixed-species feeding flock
. They eat mainly insect
s and spider
s picked from branches, tree trunks or tangles of mosses, epiphytes and vines.
Songbird
A songbird is a bird belonging to the suborder Passeri of the perching birds . Another name that is sometimes seen as scientific or vernacular name is Oscines, from Latin oscen, "a songbird"...
of the wren
Wren
The wrens are passerine birds in the mainly New World family Troglodytidae. There are approximately 80 species of true wrens in approximately 20 genera....
family. It is an endemic resident breeding species in Costa Rica
Costa Rica
Costa Rica , officially the Republic of Costa Rica is a multilingual, multiethnic and multicultural country in Central America, bordered by Nicaragua to the north, Panama to the southeast, the Pacific Ocean to the west and the Caribbean Sea to the east....
and eastern Panama
Panama
Panama , officially the Republic of Panama , is the southernmost country of Central America. Situated on the isthmus connecting North and South America, it is bordered by Costa Rica to the northwest, Colombia to the southeast, the Caribbean Sea to the north and the Pacific Ocean to the south. The...
. It is sometimes considered to be conspecific with the Mountain Wren
Mountain Wren
The Mountain Wren is a species of bird in the Troglodytidae family. It is found in the Andes or north-west Argentina, Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, and western Venezuela. Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical moist montane forests.-References:* BirdLife International 2004. . ...
, Troglodytes solstitialis, of South America
South America
South America is a continent situated in the Western Hemisphere, mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere. The continent is also considered a subcontinent of the Americas. It is bordered on the west by the Pacific Ocean and on the north and east...
.
It breeds in mountains at 900 m to 2500 m altitude (sometimes up to 3000 m in wet epiphyte
Epiphyte
An epiphyte is a plant that grows upon another plant non-parasitically or sometimes upon some other object , derives its moisture and nutrients from the air and rain and sometimes from debris accumulating around it, and is found in the temperate zone and in the...
-laden forests, and semi-open areas such as woodland edges, tall second growth and pasture with trees. Its cup nest is constructed in a swinging mass of epiphytes hanging from a branch 5–15 m high in a tree. The eggs are incubated by the female alone for about two weeks to hatching, and the young fledge in about the same length of time again.
The adult Ochraceous Wren is 9.5 cm long and weighs 9.5 g. It resembles 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...
, but is brighter with broad yellow-buff supercilia
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. Also known as an "eyebrow", it is distinct from the eyestripe, which is a line which runs...
. It has pale brown upperparts with buff underparts, becoming whitish on the belly. The sides of the head are a rich ochre colour. Young birds are similar but have paler supercilia and mottled underparts. The call of this species is a thin peeew, and the song is mixture of whistles and trills.
These birds forage actively in vegetation in pairs, family groups, or as part of a mixed-species feeding flock
Mixed-species feeding flock
A mixed-species feeding flock, also termed a mixed-species foraging flock, mixed hunting party or informally bird wave, is a flock of usually insectivorous birds of different species, that join each other and move together while foraging...
. They eat mainly insect
Insect
Insects are a class of living creatures within the arthropods that have a chitinous exoskeleton, a three-part body , three pairs of jointed legs, compound eyes, and two antennae...
s and spider
Spider
Spiders are air-breathing arthropods that have eight legs, and chelicerae with fangs that inject venom. They are the largest order of arachnids and rank seventh in total species diversity among all other groups of organisms...
s picked from branches, tree trunks or tangles of mosses, epiphytes and vines.