Bird Guide

Black-bellied Wren vs Spot-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
Spot-breasted Wren (Pheugopedius maculipectus)

Spot-breasted Wren

Pheugopedius maculipectus

Small15 gForest

The spot-breasted wren is 12.5 to 14 cm (4.9 to 5.5 in) long; males weigh 14.3 to 16.8 g (0.50 to 0.59 oz) and females 12.4 to 16.2 g (0.44 to 0.57 oz). Adults of the nominate subspecies have a reddish brown crown and upperparts; the rump is more chestnut. Their tail is dull brown with narrow dark bars. They have a white supercilium and the rest of the face and neck are streaked with black and white. The throat, chest, and the center of the belly are pale gray with black spots and the flanks and lower belly are orange-buff with no spots. Voice: The spot-breasted wren's song is " a cheerful series of clear whistling gurgles" given by both sexes .

ID text from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0

Sonogram of the Spot-breasted Wren
Recorded by Oliver Komar · Song · Desembarcadero Wimpí, south of Krausirpi, Departamento de Gracias a Dios, Honduras · CC BY-SA 4.0
Photo: (c) Daniel Pineda Vera, some rights reserved (CC BY), uploaded by Daniel Pineda Vera · cc-by

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 Spot-breasted Wren.