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Troglodytes is a genus of small passerine birds in the wren family. These wrens are around 11 or 12 cm long. They are typically streaked brown above and somewhat paler below, with short rounded wings, strong legs and a cocked tail. The flight is direct and buzzing.

Troglodytes wrens are mostly found in somewhat cooler habitats than most of their relatives. Most of the species are found in the mountains from Mexico to northern South America. Three species are found in temperate latitudes: The House Wren occurs widely in both tropical and temperate lowlands. The hardy Winter Wren has a wide distribution in North America, Europe and Asia and is the only wren of any genus which occurs outside the New World. The Cobb's Wren of the Falkland Islands is another species which tolerates harsh conditions well.

Like other wrens, this group have skulking lifestyles as they hunt for small insects and spiders but readily reveal their positions through their loud songs.

These are territorial birds, but the tiny Winter Wren will roost communally in a cavity in cold weather to help conserve heat.

Species and systematics

• House Wren, Troglodytes aedon
  • Brown-throated Wren, Troglodytes (aedon) brunneicollis
  • Southern House Wren, Troglodytes (aedon) musculus
  • Cozumel Wren, Troglodytes (aedon) beani
• Clarión Wren, Troglodytes tanneri
• Socorro Wren, Troglodytes sissonii
• Cobb's Wren, Troglodytes cobbi
• Brown-throated Wren, Troglodytes brunneicollis
• Rufous-browed Wren, Troglodytes rufociliatus
• Tepui Wren, Troglodytes rufulus
• Mountain Wren, Troglodytes solstitialis
• Ochraceous Wren, Troglodytes ochraceus
• Santa Marta Wren, Troglodytes monticola
• Winter Wren, Troglodytes troglodytes

A number of these species, such as the Clarion Island Wren, were formerly considered subspecies of the House Wren, and it has been argued that the tropical forms of the House Wren should be further split as the Southern House Wren, Troglodytes musculus. The Socorro Wren, formerly placed into Thryomanes (Bewick's Wren), is actually a close relative of the House Wren complex, as indicated by "manners, song, plumage, etc" and by biogeography and mtDNA NADH dehydrogenase subunit 2 sequence analysis.

Even with the help of the most recent molecular data the relationships of the species could not be fully resolved however. There appear to be 2 clades, one comprising the house wren group and another containing Central and South American species. The relationships of the Rufous-browed and Brown-throated Wrens are indeterminable with the present molecular data; they appear fairly basal and the former might be closer to the house wren group than the latter. The Santa Marta Wren is quite enigmatic and little-studied.

The closest living relatives of this genus are possibly the Timberline Wren and the Cistothorus species rather than the Henicorhina wood-wrens as is sometimes proposed. The Winter Wren is less closely related to the other members of the genus, and is occasionally split as the monotypic genus Nannus. It might actually be closely related to Cistothorus, but again, the molecular data is insufficient to properly resolve this issue.

Footnotes

1. Etymology: Ancient Greek τρωγλοδύτες "cave-dwellers" (compare troglodyte), from trogle (τρώγλη) "hole" + dyein (δυειν) "to enter". In reference to the tendency of these wrens to enter small crevices as they search for food.
2. noted in Howell & Webb (1995)
3. Howell & Webb (1995)
4. ^ Martínez Gómez et al. (2005)

References

• ffrench, Richard; O'Neill, John Patton & Eckelberry, Don R. (1991): A guide to the birds of Trinidad and Tobago (2nd edition). Comstock Publishing, Ithaca, N.Y.. ISBN 0-8014-9792-2
• Hilty, Steven L. (2003): Birds of Venezuela. Christopher Helm, London. ISBN 0-7136-6418-5
• Howell, Steven N.G. & Webb, Sophie (1995): A Guide to the Birds of Mexico and Northern Central America. Oxford University Press, Oxford & New York. ISBN 0-19-854012-4
• Martínez Gómez, Juan E.; Barber, Bruian R. & Peterson, A. Townsend (2005): Phylogenetic position and generic placement of the Socorro Wren (Thryomanes sissonii). Auk 122(1): 50–56. DOI:10.1642/0004-8038(2005)1222.0.CO;2 PDF fulltext
• National Geographic Society (2002): Field Guide to the Birds of North America. National Geographic, Washington DC. ISBN 0-792-26877-6
• {{aut|Rice, Peterson and Escalona-Segura: Phylogenetic patterns in montane Troglodytes wrens
• Stiles, F. Gary & Skutch, Alexander Frank (1989): A guide to the birds of Costa Rica. Comistock, Ithaca. ISBN 0-8014-9600-4
• Svensson, Lars; Zetterström, Dan; Mullarney, Killian & Grant, P. J. (1999): Collins bird guide. Harper & Collins, London. ISBN 0-00-219728-6

• Genera of birds
• Troglodytes