Wrens (Troglodytidae)

Bewick's Wren (Thryomanes bewickii) - HBW 10, p. 417

French: Troglodyte de Bewick German: Buschzaunkönig Spanish: Cucarachero Colinegro

Taxonomy: Troglodytes bewickii Audubon, 1827, five miles [8 km] from St Francesville, Louisiana, USA.
Taxonomy complex and highly disputed. Sometimes placed in genus Troglodytes, on basis of voice, behaviour and plumage, but this is without reference to DNA considerations; in past, considered by some to form a superspecies with Troglodytes sissonii in Thryomanes, with suggestion that they might even be conspecific; current information suggests present species may be closely related to Thryothorus ludovicianus. Other proposed races: from S California (USA), correctus (San Benito County S to San Diego), nesophilus (islands of Santa Rosa, Santa Cruz and Anacapa) and catalinae (Santa Catalina I), all synonymized with charienturus; also, birds from C Mexico (Jalisco, S Zacatecas), described as race percnus, appear indistinguishable from murinus. Races leucophrys (San Clemente I, off S California) and brevicauda (Guadalupe I, off Baja California) both extinct. Sixteen extant subspecies recognized.

Subspecies and Distribution:

calophonus Oberholser, 1898 - extreme SW Canada (SW British Columbia) and W USA (W Washington, W Oregon); non-breeding N California.
atrestus Oberholser, 1932 - SC Oregon, NE California and WC Nevada.
marinensis Grinnell, 1910 - NW California (Del Norte S to Marin County).

See all 16 subspecies

calophonus Oberholser, 1898 - extreme SW Canada (SW British Columbia) and W USA (W Washington, W Oregon); non-breeding N California.
atrestus Oberholser, 1932 - SC Oregon, NE California and WC Nevada.
marinensis Grinnell, 1910 - NW California (Del Norte S to Marin County).
spilurus (Vigors, 1839) - C coastal California S to Monterey Bay.
drymoecus Oberholser, 1898 - C California (including Sacramento Valley).
charienturus Oberholser, 1898 - S California (S from San Benito County) and NW Mexico (Baja California S to c. 30° N), including some offshore islands.
cerroensis (Anthony, 1897) - I de Cedros and adjacent mainland of Baja California.
magdalenensis Huey, 1942 - SW Baja California (26° N S to 24° N).
eremophilus Oberholser, 1898 - interior SW USA (E California, Nevada and S Utah E to W Texas) and WC Mexico (NE Sonora, Chihuahua and Coahuila S to N Zacatecas).
bewickii (Audubon, 1827) - C USA (Nebraska and N & E Kansas E to Mississippi).
cryptus Oberholser, 1898 - W & S Kansas, W Oklahoma and much of Texas (except W) S to NE Mexico (N Nuevo León, N Tamaulipas).
pulichi (A. R. Phillips, 1986) - E Kansas, Oklahoma.
sadai (A. R. Phillips, 1986) - coast from S Texas to C Tamaulipas.
murinus (Hartlaub, 1852) - C plateau of Mexico (from S Zacatecas and S Nuevo León S to Jalisco, Michoacán, Morelos and Tlaxcala).
mexicanus (Deppe, 1830) - S Mexico (S Puebla, W Veracruz, Oaxaca).
altus Aldrich, 1944 - very locally E USA (mainly Kentucky, Tennessee, West Virginia, Virginia).