Tepui wren facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Tepui wren |
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| ‘’Tepui wren’’ | |
| Conservation status | |
Scientific classification  |
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| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Aves |
| Order: | Passeriformes |
| Family: | Troglodytidae |
| Genus: | Troglodytes |
| Species: |
T. rufulus
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| Binomial name | |
| Troglodytes rufulus Cabanis, 1849
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The tepui wren (its scientific name is Troglodytes rufulus) is a small bird that belongs to the wren family, called Troglodytidae. You can find this special bird living in Brazil, Guyana, and Venezuela. It makes its home on tall, flat-topped mountains known as tepuis.
Contents
About the Tepui Wren
Scientists group animals based on how they are related. The tepui wren is often thought of as a type of mountain wren (Troglodytes solstitialis). Bird experts in South America believe the tepui wren is part of a group of very similar wrens. This group includes the mountain wren, ochraceous wren, rufous-browed wren, and Santa Marta wren.
The tepui wren has six different types, called subspecies. These are like slightly different versions of the same bird. Each subspecies has a slightly different look or lives in a specific area.
- T. r. rufulus
- T. r. fulvigularis
- T. r. yavii
- T. r. duidae
- T. r. wetmorei
- T. r. marahuacae
What Does It Look Like?
The tepui wren is a small bird, about 11.5 to 12 cm (4.5 to 4.7 in) long. That's about the length of your hand! It weighs around 13 to 18 g (0.46 to 0.63 oz), which is very light.
Adult tepui wrens have a chestnut brown color on their head and back. Their lower back and rump might look a bit redder. Their tail is a dark reddish-brown with thin black stripes. They have a yellowish stripe above their eye, like an eyebrow, and a dark brown line behind the eye.
Their throat and chest are a yellowish-buff color. Their sides and lower belly are reddish-brown. The area under their tail is buffy brown with dark brown stripes. Young tepui wrens are darker and have a scaly look on their belly. Different subspecies have small differences in their colors, like some having white or gray underparts.
Where Does It Live?
The tepui wren lives on isolated, flat-topped mountains called tepuis. These mountains are found in Brazil, Guyana, and Venezuela. Each subspecies lives in a specific part of these countries.
For example, the T. r. rufulus subspecies lives near Mount Roraima, where Venezuela, Guyana, and Brazil meet. Other subspecies live in different parts of Bolívar state or Amazonas state in Venezuela.
These wrens prefer to live in humid forests, at the edges of forests, and in bushy areas on these high mountains. They are usually found at heights between 1,000 to 2,800 m (3,300 to 9,200 ft). Most often, you'll find them between 1,600 and 2,400 m (5,200 and 7,900 ft) high.
Behavior
Feeding Habits
The tepui wren usually looks for its food on the ground or in low bushes. Scientists haven't fully written down what it eats yet.
Reproduction
There isn't much information published about how the tepui wren builds its nests or raises its young.
Vocalization
The tepui wren's song is described as "a series of high, thin whistled twitters." These sounds might run together smoothly or be in separate, short phrases.
Conservation Status
The IUCN (International Union for Conservation of Nature) has looked at the tepui wren and decided it is a species of "Least Concern." This means that, for now, it is not considered to be in danger of disappearing. Even though we don't know the exact number of these birds, they are common in the places they live. Many of the tepuis where they make their homes are also protected areas, which helps keep them safe.
 | Isaac Myers |
 | D. Hamilton Jackson |
 | A. Philip Randolph |
