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Spot-breasted Wren Pheugopedius maculipectus Scientific name definitions

Donald E. Kroodsma and David Brewer
Version: 1.0 — Published March 4, 2020
Text last updated January 1, 2005

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Originally Appeared in

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Introduction

Found from northeast Mexico south to northeast Costa Rica, the Spot-breasted Wren is not entirely confined to the Atlantic (Caribbean) slope of Middle America, also ranging to the other side of the Continental Divide in southern Mexico, Guatemala, and El Salvador. It is generally common, being found in a wide variety of wooded habitats, including second growth and plantations, where it forages, apparently for insects (although the species’ diet has not been studied) in low tangles and other dense vegetation. Its cheerful gurgling song recalls that of the wholly allopatric Happy Wren (Pheugopedius felix), which is endemic to western Mexico.

Field Identification

12·5–14 cm; male 14·3–16·8 g, female 12·4–16·2 g. Nominate race has white supercilium, sides of face and of neck streaked black and white; crown and upperparts reddish-brown, becoming more chestnut on rump; primaries and secondaries very obscurely barred darker; rectrices dull brown with narrow dark bars; whitish-grey below, prominently spotted black on throat, chest and centre of belly, unspotted orange-buff on lower belly and flanks; eye red-brown; bill blackish; legs blue-grey. Differs from P. rutilus in heavily spotted chest, from P. sclateri in much warmer-coloured back. Sexes similar. Juvenile is much more obscurely and less extensively marked on face and underparts. Race microstictus is less rufescent above than nominate, with smaller and less profuse chest spots; umbrinus is larger and generally darker; canobrunneus is paler than nominate, with light cinnamon-buff crown.

Systematics History

Editor's Note: This article requires further editing work to merge existing content into the appropriate Subspecies sections. Please bear with us while this update takes place.

Sometimes treated as conspecific with P. rutilus and P. sclateri (including P. columbianus and P. paucimaculatus), despite great differences in plumage and vocalizations; in past, suggested to be possibly conspecific with P. felix. Proposed races varians (Pacific slope from Chiapas, in S Mexico, S to El Salvador) and petersi (N Honduras S to N Costa Rica) considered indistinguishable from umbrinus. Four subspecies recognized.

Subspecies

SUBSPECIES

Pheugopedius maculipectus microstictus Scientific name definitions

Distribution

NE Mexico (SE Nuevo León and C Tamaulipas S to E San Luis Potosí and N Veracruz).
SUBSPECIES

Pheugopedius maculipectus maculipectus Scientific name definitions

Pheugopedius maculipectus maculipectus
P. m. maculipectus

Distribution

E Mexico (Veracruz S to Puebla and N Oaxaca).
SUBSPECIES

Pheugopedius maculipectus umbrinus Scientific name definitions

Pheugopedius maculipectus umbrinus
P. m. umbrinus

Distribution

S Mexico (NE Oaxaca, Tabasco, Chiapas), S Belize, Guatemala (except Petén), El Salvador, Honduras (except S), and Caribbean slope of Nicaragua and extreme N Costa Rica.
SUBSPECIES

Pheugopedius maculipectus varians Scientific name definitions

Distribution

S Mexico (Pacific slope of Chiapas), Guatemala and El Salvador
SUBSPECIES

Pheugopedius maculipectus canobrunneus Scientific name definitions

Distribution

SE Mexico (Yucatán Peninsula), N Belize and N Guatemala (N Petén).
SUBSPECIES

Pheugopedius maculipectus petersi Scientific name definitions

Distribution

N Honduras to n Costa Rica

Distribution

Editor's Note: Additional distribution information for this taxon can be found in the 'Subspecies' article above. In the future we will develop a range-wide distribution article.

Habitat

Quite varied, including disturbed and regenerating habitats. Forest and forest edge, as well as cocoa and citrus plantations. Occurs in both dry forest on limestone and more humid coastal forest. Sea-level to 1300 m in Mexico and Honduras; to only 200 m in Costa Rica.

Movement

Apparently sedentary.

Diet and Foraging

Little information on food, probably predominantly invertebrates. Forages usually in pairs or family parties, low down in tangled vegetation.

Sounds and Vocal Behavior

Song a cheerful series of clear whistling gurgles, given by both sexes antiphonally, male’s section consisting of 5–7 notes, female’s of 2–4.

Breeding

Mar–Jul in Mexico and Apr–Jul in Costa Rica. Nest dome-shaped with side entrance, overall dimensions c. 10 cm × 15 cm, entrance hole c. 4 cm in diameter and without tunnel, typically 1–6 m above ground level in crotch of tree or in ferns, once in hanging flower basket. Eggs 3–4, white with heavy reddish-brown streaks or blotches; no information on incubation and fledging periods; young fed by both sexes.

Conservation Status

Conservation status on Birdlife LC Least Concern
Not globally threatened. Frequently quite common. Appears able to make use of moderately disturbed habitat. Occurs in several protected areas, e.g. Blue Hole National Park, in Belize.
Distribution of the Spot-breasted Wren - Range Map
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Distribution of the Spot-breasted Wren

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Recommended Citation

Kroodsma, D. E. and D. Brewer (2020). Spot-breasted Wren (Pheugopedius maculipectus), version 1.0. In Birds of the World (J. del Hoyo, A. Elliott, J. Sargatal, D. A. Christie, and E. de Juana, Editors). Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Ithaca, NY, USA. https://doi.org/10.2173/bow.spbwre1.01
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