Riverside wren

Cantorchilus semibadius

Common name:

riverside wren (en); carriça-ribeirinha (pt); troglodyte des ruisseaux (fr); cucarachero ribereño (es); uferzaunkönig (de)

Taxonomy:

Order Passeriformes

Family Troglodytidae

Range:

This American species in only found in Panama and southern Costa Rica.

Size:

The riverside wren in 13-14 cm long and a wingspan of 26-30 cm. They weigh 18-22 g.

Habitat:

They are found in tropical and sub-tropical moist lowland forests, particularly along rivers and creeks. They are also found in densely forested gorges and along the edges of swamp forests. this species occurs from sea level up to an altitude of 1.200 m.

Diet:

The riverside wren feeds on a variety o invertebrates, including spiders, ear-worms, beetles and roaches. They often follow army ants in order to steal their prey.

Breeding:

These birds breed in December-August. Both parents build the nest, a complex globular structure suspended with a deep indentation in the lower part which divides the building into two approximately equal parts: one part of the brood chamber, secondly the hall that leads to an entry declining downwards. Between the two rooms, there is a threshold or sill. The nest is placed at a height of 1,5-2 m often above moving water. There the female lays 2 white eggs finely speckled with cinnamon or brown. The female incubates the eggs alone for 18-19 days and the chicks fledge 16 days after hatching.

Conservation:

IUCN status - LC (Least concern)

This species has a small breeding range and is described has uncommon and patchily distributed. The population size has not been quantified and the population trend is difficult to determine because of uncertainty over the impacts of habitat modification on population sizes. Overall the species is believed not to be threatened at present.