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Sumichrast's Wren | Hylorchilus sumichrasti
Dunsnavelwinterkoning | Cuevero de Sumichrast
Sumichrast's Wren is a dark brown wren with a long, thin bill and a short tail that lives only on vegetated limestone outcrops in forest in eastern Mexico. It hops nimbly over boulders and through crevices. Its clear, loud song is often the only sign of its presence.
Voice
The song is a loud series of clear, piercing whistles, often slightly descending, that echo among the rocks. Also gives a short, metallic tink.
Recording: Alberto Lobato — CC BY-NC-SA 4.0 · converted to mono · xeno-canto
Identification
15–17 cm. Mostly dark chocolate-brown. Throat and breast warm cinnamon-brown, merging into a dark brown belly with small white spots. Bill long, thin and almost straight. Tail short and often cocked. Legs fairly long and strong.
Confusion species
Nava's Wren Hylorchilus navai is very similar but has a pale grey to whitish throat and breast; the two species do not occur together. White-breasted Wood Wren Henicorhina leucosticta is much smaller, with a white throat and breast and a black-and-white striped head.
Habitat
Limestone outcrops, karst hills and boulders with crevices and caves in humid evergreen forest, also where forest has been replaced by shade coffee as long as rocks and trees remain; from the lowlands to about 1000 m. It searches on and between the rocks for insects.
Where the bird is most at home, classified by the vegetation units of Mexico and Central America.
Range and movements
Endemic to eastern Mexico: central Veracruz and adjacent northern Oaxaca. Does not occur outside the guide area.
- Resident
- dark = core range, pale = thinly spread
How and when to look
Known from around Amatlán de los Reyes near Córdoba in Veracruz. Listen near mossy limestone outcrops in forest and shade coffee for the whistled song, then search patiently among the boulders.
Conservation status
Near Threatened. The small range and dependence on limestone outcrops in forest make the species vulnerable to deforestation, conversion to farmland and limestone quarrying.
Scientific name
Hylorchilus sumichrasti | (Lawrence, 1871)
Lawrence described the species in 1871 as Catherpes sumichrasti; because it was later moved to another genus, the author and year stand in brackets. The genus Hylorchilus was introduced in 1897 by Nelson. Hylorchilus is Greek, from hulē 'forest' and orkhilos 'wren': 'forest wren'. sumichrasti honours the Swiss naturalist François Sumichrast (1828–1882), who collected in Mexico. The specimen the first description was based on came from Mato Bejuco, Veracruz, Mexico.