Northern Nightingale-Wren

Overview

The northern nightingale-wren (Microcerculus philomela) is a small passerine bird in the family Troglodytidae. It is a monotypic species found in Central America, ranging from southern Mexico to Costa Rica. The species is currently classified as Near Threatened by the IUCN due to habitat loss.

Identification

• Adults are 10 to 11.5 cm long, weighing between 16.4 and 21.5 g.
• Plumage is almost entirely dark brown with a dark gray throat and breast; black feather tips create a scalloped appearance.
• Juveniles resemble adults but have darker scaling on the upperparts and whitish to pale gray scaling on the underparts.
• Song consists of a confident to hesitant, rising and falling series of whistles, often sung from low perches.

Habitat

The species inhabits the interior of lowland tropical forest, favouring virgin evergreen forest and undisturbed cloud forest. It is found along the Atlantic side of Central America, with local presence on the Pacific side in Chiapas and Costa Rica. Elevation ranges from near sea level to 1,400 m in Mexico and occasionally up to 1,200 m in Costa Rica.

Diet

The diet is almost entirely insects. The bird forages on and near the ground, in undergrowth, brush piles, and on fallen logs, and will opportunistically follow army ant swarms.

Did you know?

Although little is known about its nesting biology, it is reported to breed between May and September in Costa Rica. It is considered under threat in much of its range specifically because of its preference for undisturbed forest, which is often cleared for agriculture.