Distribution of Campylorhynchus wrens.
Wrens in the genus Campylorhynchus (13 species) are distributed throughout the neotropics, from the southwestern United States, where the cactus wren C. brunneicapillus occurs in desert scrub, through Paraguay, Brazil and Argentina where C. turdinus is found in forest edge. See below for a map of species distributions for the genus.
Key (from north to south): purple = brunneicapillus; green = gularis in the cordilleras, and yucatanicus in the Yucatan; brown = zonatus; yellow = megalopterus; dark purple = rufinucha; orange = jocosus; light blue = chiapensis; dark blue = albobrunneus; transparent orange (overlaying brown and magenta) = nuchalis; magenta = griseus; red = turdinus; and gray = fasciatus.
Map generated using ArcExplorer 4.0.1, with data from Ridgely et al. 2003, Digital Distribution Maps of the Birds of the Western Hemisphere, version 1.0, NatureServe, Arlington, Virginia, USA.
The distribution of Campylorhynchus is of great interest from an historical perspective. Below, the distributions of Campylorhynchus species are mapped again, coloring ranges by species' membership in one of two major groups or subgenera, the Heleodytes group (in blue) and the Campylorhynchus group (in red). These groups differ in morphology (Heleodytes species are larger with shorter wings and tails, while Campylorhynchus species are more gracile), and habitat preferences (Heleodytes species prefer scrubbier more xeric habitat, while Campylorhynchus species prefer forest and forest edge). Note that both groups appear in both North and South America, although each has greater species diversity on one of the two continents (Heleodytes in North and Campylorhynchus in South America). Biogeographic analysis of this group is providing insight into the timing and ecology of avifaunal interchange across the Isthmus of Panama, which was completed some 3.5-2.5 million years ago.
Map generated using ArcExplorer 4.0.1, with data from Ridgely et al. 2003, Digital Distribution Maps of the Birds of the Western Hemisphere, Version 1.0, NatureServe, Arlington, Virginia, USA.
Last modified: Thu Sep 30 14:13:29 CDT 2004