Sedge Wren (Cistothorus platensis)

Identification & Behavior: ~12.5 cm (5 in). The Sedge Wren has rufous-brown upperparts with the mantle streaked with buff. The underparts are buffy-brown with pale throat and center of the belly. The flight feathers and tail are barred with black. It forages in humid grasslands with scattered shrubs where can be seen perched on a branch with the tail cocked. It is similar to the House Wren and the Mountain Wren but is distinguished by having a streaked mantle, and by favoring wet grasslands and wetlands as habitat.

Status: The Sedge Wren is uncommon in humid grasslands on the east slope of the Andes at elevations ranging between 3200-4600 m. It also occurs in Co, Ec, Br, Bo, and Ch.

Name in Spanish: Cucarachero Sabanero.

Sub-species: Sedge Wren (Cistothorus platensis graminicola), Taczanowski, 1874.  SC Peru (Junín, Cuzco).
(Cistothorus platensis minimus), Carriker, 1935.  S Peru S to S Bolivia.

Meaning of Name: Cistothorus: Gr. kistos= shrub, rock-rose and thoos, theo = nimble, quick, to hasten. platensis: In reference to Río de la Plata, Argentina.

See more of the Family Troglodytidae