Bird Guide

Buff-breasted Wren vs Riverside Wren

Buff-breasted Wren (Cantorchilus leucotis)

Buff-breasted Wren

Cantorchilus leucotis

Small19 gForest

Male buff-breasted wrens weigh 18.5 to 22.8 g (0.65 to 0.80 oz) and females are lighter at 16.0 to 19.5 g (0.56 to 0.69 oz), but the sexes are otherwise similar. There is considerable variation in plumage across the species' wide range. Adults' head, nape, shoulders, tail, and back are rufescent to grayish brown; the tail is heavily barred. The throat, supercilium, and the rest of the face range from whitish through gray to gray-brown. The chest is buffy and the belly more cinnamon. Fledglings are duller overall than adults and the buff of their chest is paler. Voice: Both male and female buff-breasted wrens have large song repertoires. Often a male will begin a song and the female will complete it. They also have a variety of calls.

ID text from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0

Sonogram of the Buff-breasted Wren
Recorded by Rosa Elena Albornoz @rosaelena_naturaleza · Song · Sarare (near Gamelotal), Simón Planas, Lara, Venezuela · CC0
Photo: Anthony Batista · CC BY 4.0
Riverside Wren (Cantorchilus semibadius)

Riverside Wren

Cantorchilus semibadius

Small17 gForest

The riverside wren is 13 to 14 cm (5.1 to 5.5 in) long and weighs 17 g (0.60 oz). The adults have a bright orange-brown crown; chestnut nape, back, and rump; and a blackish tail with buff-white bars. They have a black-over-white supercilium and the rest of the face is streaked and spotted black and white. From throat to vent their underparts are pale gray with narrow black bars; the gray becomes somewhat buffy to the rear. Juveniles are duller overall, have fine black scaling on the crown, and the underparts' black bars are not as crisp. Voice: Both sexes of riverside wren sing, repeated "loud ringing phrases" and followed by different phrases, also repeated. Their calls include "harsh churr and various clear tinkling notes".

ID text from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0

Photo: Jacek Pietruszewski · 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: Buff-breasted Wren and Riverside Wren.