Munchique Wood-Wren Henicorhina negreti Scientific name definitions

The Munchique Wood-wren is a Colombian songbird endemic to a tiny patch of cordillera in the western part of the country.  It is rufous-backed and -flanked, has dark gray underparts, and a brown-, black-, and white-striped head; overall it is very similar to Grey-breasted Wood-wren but has more flank barring.  The species was only discovered in 2008, and due to survey detections, less than 300 pairs are estimated to live in the species' short cloud forest habitat between 2250 and 2640 meters in elevation.  Because of its small population size, extremely restricted range, and threats from deforestation and climate change, the Munchique Wood-wren is considered to be critically endangered. 

10·8–11·7 cm; 15·2–16·7g. Has narrow white supercilium , dull black lores, postocular area and ear-coverts, blackish cheeks and malar area mottled dull white to greyish white; crown very dark brown, suffused with blackish, upperparts slightly brighter brown; outer webs of primaries and secondaries brown with narrow black bars, rectrices brown with irregular black bars; throat white , heavy black streaking posteriorly; breast medium grey, belly paler grey, flanks and crissum brown, abdomen and middle area of flanks with irregular dark grey to blackish bars; eye hazel-brown; bill black, basal half of mandible lead-grey; legs bluish slate-grey. Distinguished from H. leucophrys by, especially, its barred abdomen. Sexes similar. Juvenile is much darker overall than adult, with greyish-white supercilium, dark sooty-grey cheeks and malar region with only faint paler mottling, throat dark grey with dusky fringes, breast solid dark sooty-grey, flanks and abdomen unbarred dark dull brown.

Pacific slope of W Andes of Colombia: where departments of Chocó, Antioquia and Risaralda meet; and in Munchique Massif (Valle del Cauca, Cauca).

Apparently very specific in requirements, in contrast to more catholic H. leucophrys. Found in very wet, stunted epiphytic cloudforest characterized by almost continuous fog cover, at 2250–2640 m. Sharply separated ecologically from the two neighbouring races of H. leucophrys, one of which (nominate) occurs on drier E slopes of Munchique massif and the other (brunneiceps) on wetter Pacific slope but at lower altitudes (where fog cover much less prevalent, and vegetation generally taller) than present species. In some areas all three taxa occur within distance of 1 km, and breeding brunneiceps may be found only 200 m from present species, but no two of the three are found together.

Presumably totally sedentary.

Stomach contents exclusively arthropods, especially beetles (Coleoptera) and flies (Diptera). Forages close to forest floor, usually below 2 m; occasionally as high as 4 m to investigate epiphyte clusters. May associate with mixed-species flocks, but only briefly, when these pass through its territory.

Repeated phrases of 6–12 pure notes, each phrase lasting c. 2 seconds, typical song containing more than ten repeated phrases, but often curtailed; very different from song of H. leucophrys. Call notes mostly churrs, similar to those of congeners.

Juvenile on 25 Jul estimated to have fledged c. 2 weeks previously, implying egg date of about first week of Jun. No other information.

VULNERABLE. The species was considered Critically Endangered when described in 2003 from the Munchique massif, in Cauca (1 Salaman, P. G. W., P. Coopmans, T. M. Donegan, M. Mulligan, A. Cortés, S. L. Hilty, and L. A. Ortega (2003). A new species of wood-wren (Troglodytidae: Henicorhina) from the Western Andes of Colombia. Ornitología Colombiana 1:4–21. Close ). In 2004 a second population was discovered c. 350 km to N at La Mesenia, in Antioquia (2 Krabbe, N. (2009). A significant northward range extension of Munchique Wood-wren (Henicorhina negreti) in the western Andes of Colombia. Ornitología Colombiana. 8: 76–77. Close ), and in 2008 at least five individuals were found near the town of El Cairo, between Valle del Cauca and Chocó (3 Van Oosten, H. and Cortes, O. (2009). First record of Munchique Wood Wren Henicorhina negreti in dpto. Chocó, Colombia. Cotinga. 31: 64. Close ). It has subsequently been encountered in Páramo de Frontino (Antioquia), Tatamá (Risaralda), Farallones de Cali (Valle del Cauca) and Serranía del Pinche (Cauca) (4 López-Ordóñez, J. P., J. O. Cortés-Herrera, C. A. Paez-Ortíz, and M. F. González-Rojas (2013). Nuevos registros y comentarios sobre la distribución de algunas especies de aves en los Andes Occidentales de Colombia. Ornitología Colombiana 13:21–36. Close ). Despite this large increase in its known range, the global population is thought to be relatively small and declining. Its global conservation status is assessed cautiously, based on an estimated global range of just 8 km² and total population of 250–1000 mature individuals. This contrasts with the national assessment, which puts the species' range at 61,450 km² and suggests a population ten times larger; it is therefore considered Vulnerable at the national level in Colombia (5 Renjifo, L. M., M. F. Gómez, J. Velásquez-Tibatá, A. M. Amaya-Villarreal, G. H. Kattan, J. D. Amaya-Espinel, and J. Burbano-Girón, Editors (2014). Libro Rojo de Aves de Colombia, Volume I: bosques húmedos de los Andes y la costa Pacífica. Editorial Pontificia Universidad Javeriana & Instituto Alexander von Humboldt, Bogotá D.C., Colombia. Close ). Detailed mapping of wet Pacific forest at appropriate elevations, an estimate of deforestation rate, and fieldwork to establish the species’ presence in highly-fragmented forest and to determine its true elevational range are needed in order to accurately assess its status (2 Krabbe, N. (2009). A significant northward range extension of Munchique Wood-wren (Henicorhina negreti) in the western Andes of Colombia. Ornitología Colombiana. 8: 76–77. Close ). Although S portion of the species’ range is nominally protected, lying within Munchique National Park and Tambito Nature Reserve, in practice forest clearance for agriculture continues in the absence of adequate wardening and enforcement of regulations. The construction of a road in the lower part of Munchique National Park in 1990 has caused landslides and allowed colonisation (6 López-Ordoñez, J.P., González, M.F. and Cortés-Herrera, J.O. (2014). Henicorhina negreti. Pp. 283-286 in:. Close ). Very narrow and specific ecological requirements of this wren would render it vulnerable to climatic change. The Munchique area, which contains several species of very limited range, was declared an Important Bird Area in 2008.