Rock wren

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

This is an old revision of this page, as edited by Luckas-bot (talk | contribs) at 22:03, 25 May 2010 (robot Adding: tr:Kaya çit kuşu). The present address (URL) is a permanent link to this revision, which may differ significantly from the current revision.

Rock Wren
Scientific classification
Kingdom:
Phylum:
Class:
Order:
Family:
Genus:
Salpinctes

Cabanis, 1847
Species:
S. obsoletus
Binomial name
Salpinctes obsoletus
(Say, 1823)

The Rock Wren (Salpinctes obsoletus) 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. They have a light grey line over the eye, a long slightly decurved thin bill, a long barred tail and dark legs.

Their breeding habitat is dry rocky locations, including canyons, from southwestern Canada south to Costa Rica. This bird builds a cup nest in a crevice or cavity, usually among rocks.

These birds are permanent residents in the south of their range, but northern populations migrate to warmer areas from the central United States and southwest Canada southwards. They are occasional vagrants in the eastern United States.

These birds actively hunt on the ground, around and under objects, probing with their bill as their extraction tool. They mainly eat insects and spiders.

This bird's song is a trill, becoming more varied during the nesting season.

References

  • Template:IUCN2006 Database entry includes justification for why this species is of least concern
  • Stiles and Skutch, A guide to the birds of Costa Rica ISBN 0-8014-9600-4

External links