Musician wren

Content sourced from Wikipedia, licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0.

Musician Wren (Cyphorhinus arada)

The musician wren, also called the organ wren, is a small bird from the wren family. It lives in the Amazon rainforest of South America, from the lowlands to the foothills of the Andes, and is found in Brazil and nearby countries. It has a long song and is named for its elaborate calls.

Size and appearance
- About 12.5 cm long and 18–24 g in weight
- Adult plumage features a rufous forehead, dark-to-reddish crown, a pale buff eyebrow with dark borders, a chestnut eye stripe, orange-brown cheeks, and a black-and-white collar on the back of the neck
- Back and rump are reddish-brown; the tail is medium brown with dark bars
- Throat and upper chest are bright orange-brown, fading to pale buff on the lower chest and belly
- Juveniles look similar, sometimes with faint belly barring
- There are six subspecies with small differences; some scientists think they might be separate species

Habitat and range
- Inhabits lower levels of humid forest, including várzea swamps in Brazil
- Elevation range is from sea level up to about 1,000 m, occasionally higher

Diet and behavior
- Forages mainly on the ground or in leaf litter
- Eats invertebrates (insects, spiders, crustaceans) and sometimes berries
- Usually found in pairs or family groups; sometimes follows army ant swarms but does not join mixed-species flocks

Breeding
- Breeding season runs at least from July to September
- Nests are spherical with a funnel-shaped entrance, made from leaf skeletons and coarse grass
- Lays two eggs

Sound
- The pair sing antiphonally with clear, haunting whistles
- Calls include a harsh “churk”

Cultural notes
- In Brazil it is called uirapuru, a name tied to legends about its powerful song
- The musician wren inspired Heitor Villa-Lobos to compose a piece named Uirapuru

Conservation
- IUCN status: Least Concern
- Large, mostly undisturbed range with many protected areas

Overall, the musician wren is a small, melodious bird of the Amazon that lives on the forest floor, feeds on invertebrates, and has a song that has captured imagination and culture.