Machu Picchu, Cusco, Peru; 9 August 2010 © Daniel Lane

The Inca Wren is a Peruvian endemic that was described only as recently as 1985. This species is similar to Plain-tailed Wren (Pheugopedius euophrys) with more extensively spotted underparts: Inca Wren has a gray head with black and white facial stripes, rufous upperparts and tail, and whitish underparts with black spots extending down the belly. The species is only known from the Andes in the department of Cuzco, in south central Peru; it occurs from 1830-3350 m, where it prefers the edges of forest with dense bamboo stands. In fact, Inca Wren can be found along the cleared forest edges near Incan ruins, including the well visited ruins of Machu Picchu.

Recommended Citation

Schulenberg, Thomas S., and Tom Johnson. 2012. Inca Wren (Pheugopedius eisenmanni), Neotropical Birds Online (T. S. Schulenberg, Editor). Ithaca: Cornell Lab of Ornithology; retrieved from Neotropical Birds Online: http://neotropical.birds.cornell.edu/portal/species/overview?p_p_spp=532876