The Plain Wren lives along the Pacific side of Central America, from southern Mexico to Panama. It often uses forest edges and other open or modified habitats.
Adults have a dark grey-brown crown, a broad pale eyebrow clearer behind the eye, a rufous back and rump, and a barred reddish-brown tail. The flanks are buff-toned.
It forages for insects and spiders in scrub and low vegetation. Pairs often sing in alternation: the male gives the first notes and the female answers, so the duet can sound like one bird.
An extinction-risk assessment has not been added yet.