Cinnycerthia unirufa
Silhouette: Matt Wilkins · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~80% in a week >90%
The rufous wren (Cinnycerthia unirufa) is a species of bird in the family Troglodytidae. It is found in Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, and Venezuela. Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical moist montane forests. There are three subspecies:
C. u. unirufa - northeastern Colombia and the extreme west of Venezuela C. u. unibrunnea - most of Colombia, Ecuador, and the extreme north of Peru C. u. chakei - the Perijá Mountains on the border of Colombia and Venezuela
The rufous wren has a length of about 16.5 cm (6.5 in). Birds in most of Colombia and in Ecuador are a uniform dark chestnut-brown colour with slight blackish barring on the wings and tail, though this is difficult to observe in the field. The lores are also blackish. Individuals in northeastern Colombia and in Venezuela are a slightly paler shade, especially on the crown. The rufous wren could be confused with the sepia-brown wren (Cinnycerthia olivascens), but that species is less rufous and has bolder barring on wings and tail. Another similar bird is the rufous spinetail (Synallaxis unirufa), but that species has a longer tail, has no barring on wings and tail and is altogether different in voice and habits... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Chingaza National Natural Park | 🇨🇴 Colombia | |
| 2 | Podocarpus National Park | 🇪🇨 Ecuador | |
| 3 | Los Nevados National Natural Park | 🇨🇴 Colombia |
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Bogota | 🇨🇴 Colombia |
Likely
About 40% of wildlife watchers report a Rufous Wren sighting in Chingaza National Natural Park on a given day, based on 463 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 17th most-seen of the 258 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 80%, and over a week to over 90%, if each day is a fresh chance.
June–July and November–January
In those months about 50% of wildlife watchers report a Rufous Wren in Chingaza National Natural Park on a given day, against about 30% in March, May and September–October, the lowest months.
Between 8 and 11 am
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Rufous Wren sightings with a recorded time, and about 9 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
Yes
Of the 3 parks where we can rate Rufous Wren sightings, Chingaza National Natural Park has the highest daily chance: about 40%. Next come Podocarpus National Park (Ecuador, about 30%) and Los Nevados National Natural Park (Colombia, under 5%).
Same family: Troglodytidae
The closest relatives of the Rufous Wren that you can see in Chingaza National Natural Park (family Troglodytidae, Wrens) are Southern House Wren (about 30%), Grass Wren (about 20%) and Gray-breasted Wood-Wren (about 10%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Rufous Wren is recorded against all the birds logged in Chingaza National Natural Park (463 verified sightings from 2019 to 2026), calibrated against known sighting rates. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10% because citizen-science data supports honest approximations, not decimals, and months with records from fewer than five people show "—". How it works.
