Rufous-and-white Wren

How to find it

Learn the song first, because this wren is far more often heard than seen. Listen in moist forest near Monteverde, in large hotel gardens of the Central Valley, and in dry and moist forest on the Pacific slope. Go out early, since singing and territorial activity are strongest in the morning and taper off later. Near the rooms of a Monteverde-area lodge, a pair came into view more easily when squeaked. Around Carara, try riparian zones and viny forest edges, though views along the Sendero Meandrico were harder.

How to recognise it

Adults are deep rufous above, with a duller brown crown. The face carries the marks that stand out:

- a white eyebrow

- a brown line through the eye

- bold black streaks on the cheeks

The throat and the centre of the underparts are white, while the flanks are grayish brown. The wings and tail are barred black, and the undertail is barred black and white, a useful mark if the bird hops into view for a moment. It is about 14 cm long and weighs about 25 g.

What it sounds like

Recording: stevestevens, CC0 1.0, source, read 4 Nov 2026.

Behaviour and diet

This is a shy wren that forages in pairs, in low vegetation or on the ground. It hunts mainly in leaf litter on the forest floor, taking insects, spiders and other invertebrates.

The nest is a retort-shaped structure of grass stems and rootlets, or black fungal strands. It sits 2 to 3 m up in a shrub, tree or spiny palm. The female lays 3 to 4 unmarked blue-green eggs.

Where it lives

In Costa Rica it ranges from sea level up to about 1100 m. It is a resident of the northern Pacific slope, including at least the west side of the Central Valley, and it is abundant in the forested mountains of the Nicoya Peninsula. Farther south it becomes patchy, known mainly from the lower Térraba river basin.

It lives in moist forest, in streamside strips within dry forest, and in shade coffee. In the dry forest of Santa Rosa it uses the older, more humid, evergreen patches rather than the whole forest.

When to see it

Breeding in Costa Rica runs from April to August. In the dry forest of Santa Rosa, pairs build nests several weeks before the rains, and egg laying starts after the first big rain, typically early May.

Similar birds

Compared with Cabanis's Wren, it has brighter upperparts, more prominent streaking on the cheeks and a barred undertail. Compared with the Banded Wren, its sides and flanks are dingy and unmarked. Around Carara, Rufous-breasted Wren sings in the same riparian zones and viny edges, and the two compete in song, so check which voice you are hearing.

Names and lore in Costa Rica

Costa Ricans call it Soterrey Rufo y Blanco. Elsewhere it is chivirín rojizo in Mexico, cucarachero cantor in Colombia and sotorrey rufiblanco in Panama.

Status and conservation

The AOCR official list gives it resident status (R) in Costa Rica, and IUCN rates the species Least Concern.

Photography tips

Most singing and territorial activity in the Santa Rosa dry forest happens early in the morning and tapers off later, so go out early. A gentle squeak helped bring a pair into view near Monteverde.