Bird Guide

Black-bellied Wren vs Rufous-breasted Wren

Black-bellied Wren (Pheugopedius fasciatoventris)

Black-bellied Wren

Pheugopedius fasciatoventris

Small24 gForest

Male black-bellied wrens weigh 23.5 to 34.5 g (0.83 to 1.22 oz) and females 19.5 to 28.5 g (0.69 to 1.01 oz). Adults of all three subspecies have a rich chestnut back and tail; the latter has black bars. They have a white supercilium of varying size above a grayish face and are white on the chin, throat, and breast. All three have a black belly, but that of P. f. melanogaster is unmarked while those of the other two subspecies have thin white bars. Voice: Both sexes of the black-bellied wren have large song repertoires; one male was recorded with 38 different songs and a female with 19. Multiple examples are available at Xeno-canto and Cornell's Macaulay Library .

ID text from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0

Photo: Anthony Batista · CC BY 4.0
Rufous-breasted Wren (Pheugopedius rutilus)

Rufous-breasted Wren

Pheugopedius rutilus

Small17 gForest

Adult rufous-breasted wrens of the nominate subspecies are 14 cm (5.5 in) long and weigh 13.5 to 18.5 g (0.48 to 0.65 oz). Their crowns and upperparts are warm brown; their tail is gray-brown with heavy dark brown bars. They have a white supercilium with a black edge above it. Their face and throat are speckled black and white. The chest is bright chestnut. The rest of the underparts a duller chestnut with a grayish white center to the belly. Juveniles are duller than the adults and the facial markings are less distinct. The facial pattern and rufous breast are unique in the genus. P. r. Voice: The rufous-breasted wren's songs vary throughout its range. Both sexes sing as a duet but sometimes the male sings alone. Some examples of songs are (Costa Rica) , (Panama) , (Colombia) , (Venezuela) , and (Trinidad) . Its call, "churring and raspy", does not seem to vary as much .

ID text from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0

Sonogram of the Rufous-breasted Wren
Recorded by Rosa Elena Albornoz @rosaelena_naturaleza · Song · Los Caracas, La Guaira, Venezuela · CC0
Photo: Anthony Batista · CC BY 4.0

Where you might meet both

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Photos and recordings are credited to their authors under the licence shown. Full profiles: Black-bellied Wren and Rufous-breasted Wren.