Nava's Wren

Overview

Nava's wren (Hylorchilus navai) is a species of bird in the family Troglodytidae that is endemic to Mexico. Classified as Vulnerable by the IUCN, its population is estimated to be fewer than 7,000 adults due to a small and declining range.

Identification

• Length of 16 cm (6.3 in) with a female mass of 29.3 g (1.03 oz).
• Rich brown crown and upperparts with a tawny face.
• Whitish throat and upper chest transitioning to pale gray lower chest and gray-brown vent, with faint scalloping on the lower chest.
• Sooty brown flanks.
• Male sings a varied, often stuttering warble of mellow whistles, while the female produces an introductory note followed by rapid series of eight or more loud whistles.
• Species call described as a metallic 'tink'.

Habitat

This bird occurs in a small area of southern Mexico, specifically in southeastern Veracruz, western Chiapas, and barely into northeastern Oaxaca. It inhabits undisturbed forest with outcrops of Karst limestone between the elevations of 75 and 800 m (246 and 2,625 ft).

Diet

Although specific dietary data are unavailable, the species probably feeds mostly or entirely on invertebrates. It forages on the ground, especially among rocks and on rock faces.

Did you know?

The species was originally treated as a subspecies of Hylorchilus sumichrasti, which was then known as the slender-billed wren, before being split and renamed Sumichrast's wren.