- Synallaxis albigularis
Identification
15–16 cm (6-6¼ in)
Adult
- Chestnut crown and wing patch
- Dark gray body
- White chin
- Black patch on throat
- Long spiky tail
Juvenile buffy brown lacking rufous patches.
Similar Species
Differs from Cabanis's Spinetail and Dusky Spinetail by brighter rufous crown, gray forecrown, olive-brown (not chestnut) tail, smaller rufous wing patch, and paler gray breast. Also compare Azara's Spinetail in the highlands. Juvenile may also be confused with Plain-crowned Spinetail.
Distribution
South America: found in Colombia, Ecuador, Peru and Brazil.
Taxonomy
Subspecies
There are 2 subspecies currently recognized[1]
- S. a. rodolphei:
- Southern Colombia
- S. a. albigularis:
Larger birds with much darker underparts in the Huallaga and Ucayali basins of Peru may be an undescribed subspecies[2]
Habitat
Scrubby areas on river islands.
Behaviour
Diet
Their diet consists mostly of arthropods which are gleaned from leaves and slender branches; also from the ground.
Breeding
Nest a mass of sticks with a long, tubular entrance.
Vocalisation
Song is a series of descending musical notes, sometimes ending in a descending trill. Sometimes answered with a rising series. Call is a harsh djurt.
Movements
Resident.
References
- Clements, J. F., T. S. Schulenberg, M. J. Iliff, D. Roberson, T. A. Fredericks, B. L. Sullivan, and C. L. Wood. 2018. The eBird/Clements checklist of birds of the world: v2018. Downloaded from http://www.birds.cornell.edu/clementschecklist/download/
- Avibase
- Remsen, J.V., Jr (2019). Dark-breasted Spinetail (Synallaxis albigularis). In: del Hoyo, J., Elliott, A., Sargatal, J., Christie, D.A. & de Juana, E. (eds.). Handbook of the Birds of the World Alive. Lynx Edicions, Barcelona. (retrieved from https://www.hbw.com/node/56435 on 21 July 2019).
- Dark-breasted Spinetail (Synallaxis albigularis), In Neotropical Birds Online (T. S. Schulenberg, Editor). Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Ithaca, NY, USA. retrieved from Neotropical Birds Online: https://neotropical.birds.cornell.edu/Species-Account/nb/species/dabspi1
- Schulenberg, T. S. & Stotz, D. F. & Lane, D. F. & O'Neill, J. P. & Parker III, T. A. & Egg, A. B. (2010). Birds of Peru: Revised and Updated Edition. Princeton: Princeton University Press. ISBN 978-0691130231
Recommended Citation
- BirdForum Opus contributors. (2024) Dark-breasted Spinetail. In: BirdForum, the forum for wild birds and birding. Retrieved 1 September 2024 from https://www.birdforum.net/opus/Dark-breasted_Spinetail
