| Grass wren | |
|---|---|
 | |
| C. p. aequatorialis, Colombia | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Aves |
| Order: | Passeriformes |
| Family: | Troglodytidae |
| Genus: | Cistothorus |
| Species: | C. platensis |
| Binomial name | |
| Cistothorus platensis (Latham, 1790) | |
 | |
The grass wren (Cistothorus platensis) is a species of passerine bird in the family Troglodytidae. It is widely distributed in central and southern America. [2]
The grass wren was described in 1790 by the English ornithologist John Latham and given the binomial name Sylvia platensis. [3] The type locality is Buenos Aires, Argentina. [4] The current genus Cistothorus was introduced by the German ornithologist Jean Cabanis in 1850. [5]
The grass wren and the sedge wren (Cistothorus stellaris) were formerly treated as conspecific. They were split based on the results of a molecular phylogenetic study published in 2014. [6] This split was accepted in 2018 by the International Ornithological Committee (IOC) and BirdLife International's Handbook of the Birds of the World , in 2019 by the South American Classification Committee of the American Ornithological Society (AOS), and in 2021 by the AOS North American Classification Committee and the Clements taxonomy. As of 2018 the fourth edition of the Howard and Moore Complete Checklist of the Birds of the World had not implemented the split. Taxonomic bodies recognize 17 subspecies of the grass wren. [2] [7] [8] [9] [10]
The grass wren is 10 to 10.5 cm (3.9 to 4.1 in) long. Its upperparts are buffy brown with black and buffy whitish streaks on the back. The wings and tail have dusky bands. Its underparts are mostly buffy. [11]
The grass wren is found discontinuously from central Mexico south through Belize, Guatemala, Honduras, and Nicaragua into Costa Rica, in every mainland South American country except French Guiana and Suriname, and the Falkland Islands. [2] [12]
In Colombia and Ecuador, the grass wren inhabits moist grassy and sedgy parts of paramo, clearings, agricultural areas, and interandean valleys. [11] [13] In Brazil it inhabits cerrado, grassland, and marshes. [14]
Grass wrens build two types of non‐breeding nest structures: platforms and dummy nests. Platforms are rudimentary accumulations of grasses concealed between vegetation. Dummy and breeding nests are dome‐shaped with a similar structural layer. The function of these non-breeding nests is unclear, but an experimental study suggests that building non‐breeding nests may be an attempt by males to manipulate the decision of females to breed with a mate they might otherwise reject or to start reproduction earlier than optimal for the females. [15]
The grass wren's song is a "series of short,...high notes such as high rattles, sharp trills, sparrowlike 'tr-tr-tr-tr' and nasal 'zèzèzèzè'." [14]
The IUCN has assessed the grass wren as being of Least Concern. [1]
The marsh wren is a small North American songbird of the wren family. It is sometimes called the long-billed marsh wren to distinguish it from the sedge wren, also known as the short-billed marsh wren.
The sedge wren is a small and secretive passerine bird in the family Troglodytidae. It is widely distributed in North America. It is often found in wet grasslands and meadows where it nests in the tall grasses and sedges and feeds on insects. The sedge wren was formerly considered as conspecific with the non-migratory grass wren of central and South America.
The ochraceous wren is a small songbird of the wren family. It is a resident breeding species in Costa Rica, Panama, and Colombia.
The sepia-brown wren or Sharpe's wren is a species of bird in the family Troglodytidae. It is found in Colombia, Ecuador, and Peru.
The Peruvian wren is a species of bird in the family Troglodytidae. It is endemic Peru.
Apolinar's wren is a passerine bird in the family Troglodytidae. It is endemic to Colombia.
Cistothorus is a genus of small passerine birds in the family Troglodytidae.
The Mérida wren, or paramo wren, is a species of bird in the family Troglodytidae. It is endemic to Venezuela.
The song wren is a species of bird in the family Troglodytidae. It is found in Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Honduras, Nicaragua, and Panama.
The chestnut-breasted wren is a species of bird in the family Troglodytidae. It is found in Colombia, Ecuador, Peru and Bolivia.
The grey-breasted wood wren is a species of bird in the family Troglodytidae. It is found from Mexico to Bolivia.
The timberline wren is a species of bird in the family Troglodytidae. It is found in Costa Rica and western Panama.
The buff-breasted wren is a species of bird in the family Troglodytidae. It is found in the Amazon Basin of northern Brazil and Amazonian Colombia, Ecuador, Peru and northern-border Bolivia, and also the Guianan countries of Guyana, Suriname, and French Guiana. It occurs in non-Amazonian regions of Venezuela and Colombia and its range extends into eastern Panama.
The spot-breasted wren is a species of bird in the family Troglodytidae. It is found in Belize, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, and Nicaragua.
Cabanis's wren is a species of bird in the family Troglodytidae. It is found in Belize, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, and Nicaragua.
The speckle-breasted wren is a species of bird in the family Troglodytidae. It is found in Colombia, Ecuador, and Peru.
The sooty-headed wren is a species of bird in the family Troglodytidae. It is found in Colombia and Panama.
The superciliated wren is a species of bird in the family Troglodytidae. It is found in Ecuador and Peru.
The white-bellied wren is a species of bird in the family Troglodytidae. It is found in Belize, Guatemala, Honduras, and Mexico.
The isthmian wren is a species of bird in the family Troglodytidae. It is found in Costa Rica and Panama.
