Musician Wren

About the Musician Wren

The musician wren or organ wren (Cyphorhinus arada) is a species of wren named for its elaborate song. It is native to the Amazon rainforest in South America, from the lowlands into the foothills of the Andes. At one time the musician wren and the song wren (Cyphorhinus phaeocephalus) were considered conspecific. They, and possibly chestnut-breasted wren (C. thoracicus), form a superspecies.

The musician wren has the six recognized subspecies listed below. There are vocal and plumage differences among them, and one publication has proposed splitting all six into individual species. The six subspecies are: C. a. arada Hermann (1783)

C. a. griseolateralis Ridgway (1888) C. a. interpositus Todd (1932) C. a. transfluvialis Todd (1932) C. a. salvini Sharpe (1882) C. a. modulator d'Orbigny (1838) The musician wren is 12.5 cm (4.9 in) long and weighs 18 to 24 g (0.63 to 0.85 oz). The adult of the nominate subspecies has a rufous forehead and forecrown that darkens to chesnut brown to the rear. It has a narrow pale buff supercilium with narrower black borders, a chestnut brown stripe behind the eye, and orange-brown cheeks. It has a broad... Wikipedia →