Rufous-naped Wren, Campylorhynchus rufinucha

Rufous-naped Wren, Campylorhynchus rufinucha humilis. Photograph taken in the greater Zihuantanejo area, Guerrero, March 2018. Photograph courtesy of Ron Woheau, Zihuantanejo.

Rufous-naped Wren, Campylorhynchus rufinucha humilis. Bird photographed in Parque National Huatulco, Huatulco, Oaxaca, March 2021. Photograph and identification courtesy of Marina Sutormina, Stockholm, Sweden.

The Rufous-naped Wren, Campylorhynchus rufinucha humilis, is one of seven subspecies of Rufous-naped Wren, three of which are found in Mexico. They are a member of the Trogldytidae Family of Wrens, that has eighty-six members placed in nineteen genera, and one of thirteen global species of the Campylorhynchus Genus. They are known in Mexico as cucarachero nuquirrufo.

The Rufous-naped Wren is large in stature. They are sexually dimorphic with the males being larger than the females but their plumages are similar. They are boldly marked with various amounts of rufous and black on the head and nape, a conspicuous black stripe through the eye contrasting with white above and below and patterned black and white tail and wings. They have a prominent slightly decurved black bill, a reddish-brown iris, and black legs and toes.

The Rufous-naped Wrens are found in lowland tropical dry-forest, favoring arid and semi-arid areas with dry scrub, human-modified landscapes, and within coastal mangroves and the lower levels of cloud forest at elevations below 1,200 m (3,900 feet). They consume a wide variety of insects gleaning prey from foliage or by searching crevices in bark and tree holes, and around buildings. Breeding occurs in in co-ops with both sexes building multiple dormitory like nests. The females incubate the eggs. The developing family groups sleep together in their nests. They are known for their frequent singing.

In Mexico three of the seven subspecies are Mexican residents being found within the Atlantic Slope from central Veracruz to north central Oaxaca and within the Pacific Slope from Colima, Michoacán, and Guerrero, east to Guatemala. The humilis subspecies is found in western Mexico from Colima, Michoacán, and Guerrero, east to Oaxaca and southwest Chiapas.

The Rufous-naped Wren can be confused with the Giant Wren, Campylorhynchus chiapensis (25% larger, unmarked, dark rufous wings and only found in Chiapas).

From a conservation perspective the Rufous-naped Wren, is currently considered to be of Least Concern with stable, widely distributed populations. They have adapted well to human modified landscapes. The loss of tropical dry forests does affect their long-term survival. Their populations are estimated to be between 50,000 and 500,000 individuals.