Clarión Wren

Troglodytes tanneri

According to the literature I have found, this bird resembles the House Wren. But my impression, after meeting the Clarión Wren was that it looked and behaved more like a Rock Wren. This bird is endemic to, and only found on the island of Clarión in the Revillagigedos of Mexico. I met them in February 2017 during a science expedition to the Revillagigedo Archipelago.

Taxonomists regard the Clarión Wren as monotypic (i.e. there are no subspecies).

I have read accounts stating that these birds “usually avoid the rocky shores and other exposed areas”, but that was not my experience. My most memorable encounters were on the rocky point atop the cliffs near the island’s lighthouse.