Cabanis's Spinetail
Synallaxis cabanisi
Range-restricted, gray-and-red spinetail. Found in bamboo and other dense, tangly undergrowth in secondary forest in parts of the Andean foothills of Peru, Bolivia, and adjacent lowlands. Browner than the similar Dark-breasted Spinetail, which has a gray face and underparts. Darker and more reddish on the upperparts and crown than other similar species like Plain-crowned and Pale-breasted Spinetails. Forages singly or in pairs in the undergrowth. Listen for its call: a nasal “nyeck-nyeck.”
Identification
Cabanis's spinetail is 16 to 18 cm (6.3 to 7.1 in) long and weighs 16 to 24 g (0.56 to 0.85 oz). The sexes have the same plumage. Adults of the nominate subspecies have a faint ochraceous chestnut streak behind the eye and a grayish white malar region on an otherwise sooty gray-brown face. Their crown and nape are dark rufous-chestnut; their back, rump and upperail coverts are dark brown. Their wings are mostly rufous-chestnut with fuscous brown tips on the flight feathers. Their tail is dull chestnut; it is graduated and the feathers have pointed tips. Their chin and sides of their throat are brownish gray; the central throat feathers are blackish with grayish edges. Their underparts are mostly brownish gray with a slightly paler belly and a faint brown tinge on the flanks. Their iris is reddish brown to brown, their maxilla black, their mandible silver to gray (sometimes with a blackish tip), and their legs and feet olive-gray to yellowish gray. Juveniles have a sooty gray-brown crown and nape and more grayish underparts than the nominate. Subspecies S. c. fulviventris is smaller than the nominate, with a whiter throat and much paler underparts; their breast is tawny-olive and the center of their belly is buff.
Taxonomy
Cabanis's spinetail has two subspecies, the nominate S. c. cabanisi (Berlepsch & Leverkühn, 1890) and S. c. fulviventris (Chapman, 1924).<p>Well into the twentieth century what is now McConnell's spinetail (S. macconnelli) was treated as conspecific with Cabanis's spinetail. Genetic data published in 2011 supported that Cabanis's spinetail, McConnell's spinetail, and the dusky spinetail (S. moesta) form a monophyletic group. However, data published in 2013 has evidence that the dusky spinetail might instead be more closely related to the rufous-capped spinetail (S. ruficapilla). <p>The English name and specific epithet of Cabanis's spinetail commemorate the German ornithologist Jean Louis Cabanis.
- Scientific name
- Synallaxis cabanisi
- Authority
- Berlepsch & Leverkühn, 1890
- Order
- Passeriformes
- Family
- Furnariidae
- Genus
- Synallaxis
Range and habitat
Cabanis's spinetail mostly a bird of the eastern foothills of the Andes. The nominate subspecies is found in central and southern Peru from the Department of Huánuco south into the Department of Puno; it might also occur in the western part of the Department of Ucayali. Subspecies S. c. fulviventris is found in the northern Bolivian departments of La Paz, Beni, and Cochabamba. A disjunct population discovered in 1997 in west-central Brazil is currently (2023) assigned to the nominate subspecies but the 2013 publication suggests it belongs in the group of species related to the rufous-capped spinetail.<p>Cabanis's spinetail inhabits the edges of lower montane and lowland evergreen forest, secondary forest, and riparian forest. It favors dense undergrowth and often occurs in thickets of Guadua bamboo or Gynerium cane. In elevation it occurs in a narrow band between about 200 and 350 m (700 and 1,100 ft).
- Migration
- Resident species
Behavior
Cabanis's spinetail is a year-round resident throughout its range.<p>The diet and foraging behavior of Cabanis's spinetail are not well known. It is thought to feed on arthropods that it gleans from foliage and small branches, staying about 1 to 2 m (3 to 7 ft) above the ground. It is usually seen in pairs.<p>Nothing is known about the breeding biology of Cabanis's spinetail.<p>The vocalizations of Cabanis's spinetail have not been fully evaluated. Remsen describes a "[l]ow nasal 'nyap' " made by the Peruvian and Bolivian populations, and states that it is probably a call and that the species' song has not been described. VanPerlo describes the song of the Brazilian population as a "hurried, chattered 'tjetjetjetjet--' " and its call a "low 'zic' ".
Conservation
- Population trend
- declining
Photos
Distribution
Bird Calls
Other Birds
Rusty-backed Spinetail
Cranioleuca vulpina
A small long-tailed bird found in gallery forests near water, mostly foraging in the understory. Rusty above and pale below with a white eyebrow. Similar to Yellow-chinned Spinetail, but has a pale (not black) lower mandible. The song, usually given as a duet, is a series of high-pitched notes.
Yellowish Pipit
Anthus chii
Rather dull buffy ground-dwelling bird with a large but disjunct range from Panama to Argentina. Streaky brown above and paler below with a streaked breast and plain belly. Note long pinkish legs and white outer tail feathers. Found in any flat open habitat including savannah, agricultural areas, and desert. Most often seen on the ground, occasionally perched up on a small shrub or fence. The only pipit in most of its range. Listen for the distinctive song, a few tick notes followed by a long descending buzzy “tzeeeeeeew,” often given in flight.
White-crowned Sparrow
Zonotrichia leucophrys
Large, long-tailed sparrow with striking head pattern. Adults have black and white stripes on the head, while immatures show brown and tan. Underparts are plain grayish without streaks. Bill color varies from yellow to pink, but always brighter than White-throated Sparrow. Breeds in brushy areas or thickets in open forest, often with conifers. In migration and winter, can be found in any brushy or weedy areas, often hopping on the ground. Visits feeders.
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