Mérida wren

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title: "Mérida wren" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["cistothorus", "birds-of-the-venezuelan-andes", "endemic-birds-of-venezuela", "páramo-fauna", "birds-described-in-1907", "taxa-named-by-carl-eduard-hellmayr", "taxonomy-articles-created-by-polbot"] description: "Species of bird" topic_path: "general/cistothorus" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mérida_wren" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0

::summary Species of bird ::

| image = | status = LC | status_system = IUCN3.1 | status_ref = | genus = Cistothorus | species = meridae | authority = Hellmayr, 1907 | synonyms = | range_map = Cistothorus meridae map.svg

The Mérida wren (Cistothorus meridae), or paramo wren, is a species of bird in the family Troglodytidae. It is endemic to Venezuela.

Taxonomy and systematics

The Mérida wren is monotypic.

Description

The Mérida wren is 10 cm long. Adults have a medium brown crown and nape with darker brown streaks, blackish brown shoulders and upper back with off-white streaks, and a blackish and brown streaked rump. Their tail is medium brown with crisp black bars. They have an off-white supercilium that is wider to the rear, cheeks mottled with brown, and off-white chin and throat. Their chest is buffy and the flanks a darker buff.

Distribution and habitat

The Mérida wren is found in the Andes of Venezuela from Trujillo south to northeastern Táchira. It inhabits wet páramo with scattered bushes at elevations between 3000 and. It is mostly sedentary but may move altitudinally and is thought to leave some areas during the rainy season.

Behavior

Feeding

The Mérida wren forages low in the vegetation for arthropods; no details have been published.

Breeding

Very little is known about the Mérida wren's breeding phenology. It is polygamous and uses "dormitory" nests for roosting but not breeding.

Vocalization

The male Mérida wren has a repertoire of 20 to 25 songs that vary geographically and even among individuals in a region. Some examples are https://www.xeno-canto.org/220669, https://www.xeno-canto.org/6860, and https://www.xeno-canto.org/219913.

Status

The IUCN has assessed the Mérida wren as being of Least Concern. "Despite its small global range, the harsh nature of its habitat does not invite much human interference. Some areas of its range are protected."

References

References

1. BirdLife International. (2017). "Merida Wren ''Cistothorus meridae''".
2. (January 2021). "IOC World Bird List (v 11.1)".
3. Apolinar's wren (''C. apolinari''), grass wren (''C. platensis''), and it form a superspecies.Remsen, J. V., Jr., J. I. Areta, E. Bonaccorso, S. Claramunt, A. Jaramillo, D. F. Lane, J. F. Pacheco, M. B. Robbins, F. G. Stiles, and K. J. Zimmer. Version 23 May 2021. A classification of the bird species of South America. American Ornithological Society. https://www.museum.lsu.edu/~Remsen/SACCBaseline.htm retrieved May 24, 2021
4. Kroodsma, D. E. and D. Brewer (2020). Merida Wren (''Cistothorus meridae''), version 1.0. In Birds of the World (J. del Hoyo, A. Elliott, J. Sargatal, D. A. Christie, and E. de Juana, Editors). Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Ithaca, NY, USA. https://doi.org/10.2173/bow.merwre1.01 retrieved June 2, 2021

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