Rock Wren
Salpinctes obsoletus (Say, 1823)
Rock Wren: https://marylandbiodiversity.com/species/1206
Synonyms
ROWR 

Seasonality Snapshot

Status

Maryland has three records of this western species. Mark Hoffman found Maryland's first record on Assateague Island on 10/11/1993 (#1994-029). Scott Housten found our second record at Sunset Park in Ocean City on 10/21/2015. Our third record visited a yard in St. Mary's Co. in late winter 2019.

Use of media featured on Maryland Biodiversity Project is only permitted with express permission of the photographer.

Source: Wikipedia

Rock wren
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Aves
Order: Passeriformes
Family: Troglodytidae
Genus: Salpinctes
Cabanis, 1847
Species:
S. obsoletus
Binomial name
Salpinctes obsoletus
(Say, 1822)

The rock wren (Salpinctes obsoletus) is a small songbird of the wren family native to western North America, Mexico and Central America. It is the only species in the genus Salpinctes.

Description

[edit]
Rock Wren
Rock Wren at Folsom Lake in Placer County, California.

Measurements:[2]

  • Length: 4.9-5.9 in (12.5-15 cm)
  • Weight: 0.5-0.6 oz (15-18 g)
  • Wingspan: 8.7-9.4 in (22-24 cm)

They have grey-brown upperparts with small black and white spots and pale grey underparts with a light brown rump. Additional distinctive features include a light grey line over the eye, a long slightly decurved thin bill, a long barred tail and dark legs. They actively hunt on the ground, around and under objects, probing with their bill as their extraction tool. They mainly eat insects and spiders. Its song is a trill that becomes more varied during the nesting season. These birds are permanent residents in the south of their range, but northern populations migrate to warmer areas from the central United States and southwest Canada southwards. They are occasional vagrants in the eastern United States. During the breeding season, they move to dry, rocky locations, including canyons, from southwestern Canada south to Costa Rica to build cup nests in a crevice or cavity, usually among rocks.

References

[edit]
  1. ^ BirdLife International (2016). "Salpinctes obsoletus". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2016: e.T22711332A94289509. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2016-3.RLTS.T22711332A94289509.en. Retrieved 11 November 2021.
  2. ^ "Rock Wren Identification, All About Birds, Cornell Lab of Ornithology". www.allaboutbirds.org. Retrieved 2020-09-28.
[edit]

See also

[edit]