Blackish-headed spinetail

Last updated

Blackish-headed spinetail
Synallaxis tithys - Blackish-headed Spinetail.jpg
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Aves
Order: Passeriformes
Family: Furnariidae
Genus: Synallaxis
Species:
S. tithys
Binomial name
Synallaxis tithys
Synallaxis tithys map.svg

The blackish-headed spinetail (Synallaxis tithys) is a Vulnerable species of bird in the Furnariinae subfamily of the ovenbird family Furnariidae. It is found in Ecuador and Peru. [2] [1]

Contents

Taxonomy and systematics

The blackish-headed spinetail is monotypic. [2]

Description

The blackish-headed spinetail is 14.5 to 17 cm (5.7 to 6.7 in) long and weighs 14 to 18 g (0.49 to 0.63 oz). The sexes have the same plumage. Adults have a mostly black face with some whitish grizzling on the cheeks. Their forecrown is black, their hindcrown and upper back dark gray, and their rump and uppertail coverts dark brownish. Their wing coverts are tawny-rufous and their flight feathers dark fuscous with rufescent brown edges. Their chin is blackish and their throat black. Their underparts are mostly gray with a paler belly and an olive tinge to the flanks and undertail coverts. Their iris is reddish brown to gray-brown, their maxilla black to dark gray, their mandible blue-gray to gray, and their legs and feet gray or pale gray to bluish horn. Juveniles are more olivaceous than adults, with an ill-defined black forehead and gray mottling on their underparts. [3] [4]

Distribution and habitat

The blackish-headed spinetail is found from Manabí and Loja provinces in southwestern Ecuador south into the departments of Tumbes and Piura in far northwestern Peru. It inhabits the undergrowth of tropical deciduous forest, secondary forest, and adjacent scrublands. In elevation it ranges from near sea level to almost 1,300 m (4,300 ft). [3] [4]

Behavior

Movement

The blackish-headed spinetail is considered a year-round resident throughout its range but there is some slight evidence of elevational movements. [3]

Feeding

The blackish-headed spinetail feeds on arthropods. It usually forages in pairs and only rarely joins mixed-species feeding flocks. It gleans prey from leaf litter, foliage, and small branches in dense cover up to about 2 m (7 ft) above the ground. [3] [4]

Breeding

The blackish-headed spinetail is thought to breed during the January to April rainy season. Its nest is a ball of sticks typically placed about 3 to 7 m (10 to 23 ft) up in vine tangles. Nothing else is known about its breeding biology. [3]

Vocalization

The blackish-headed spinetail's song is "a short, dry, ascending trill, 't-t-t-t-t-tit' " that it repeats every few seconds. "Excited birds can give a 'weé-di weé-di weé-di' series." [4]

Status

The IUCN originally in 1994 assessed the blackish-headed spinetail as Vulnerable, then in 2000 as Endangered, and since 2017 again as Vulnerable. It has a limited range and its estimated population of between 2500 and 10,000 mature individuals is believed to be decreasing. "All forest-types within its range have greatly diminished owing to agricultural clearance. Persistent grazing by goats and cattle removes understorey, prevents forest regeneration and is a serious current threat." [1] It is considered local in Ecuador [4] and common to fairly common in Peru's Tumbes National Reserve [3] . It also occurs in some protected areas in Ecuador. [3]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pale-breasted spinetail</span> Species of bird

The pale-breasted spinetail is a passerine bird in the Furnariinae subfamily of the ovenbird family Furnariidae. It is found in Costa Rica, Panama, Trinidad, and in every mainland South American country except Chile and Ecuador.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Stripe-breasted spinetail</span> Species of bird

The stripe-breasted spinetail is a passerine bird in the Furnariinae subfamily of the ovenbird family Furnariidae. It is found in Colombia, Trinidad, Tobago, and Venezuela.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Slaty spinetail</span> Species of bird

The slaty spinetail or slaty castlebuilder,, is a passerine bird in the Furnariinae subfamily of the ovenbird family Furnariidae. It is found from Honduras south to Peru.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ash-browed spinetail</span> Species of bird

The ash-browed spinetail is a species of bird in the Furnariinae subfamily of the ovenbird family Furnariidae. It is found in Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador, and Peru.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dark-breasted spinetail</span> Species of bird

The dark-breasted spinetail is a species of bird in the Furnariinae subfamily of the ovenbird family Furnariidae. It is found in Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, and Peru.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Azara's spinetail</span> Species of bird

Azara's spinetail is a species of bird in the Furnariinae subfamily of the ovenbird family Furnariidae. It is found in Argentina, Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, and Venezuela.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cabanis's spinetail</span> Species of bird

Cabanis's spinetail is a species of bird in the Furnariinae subfamily of the ovenbird family Furnariidae. It is found in Brazil, Bolivia, and Peru.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chestnut-throated spinetail</span> Species of bird

The chestnut-throated spinetail is a species of bird in the Furnariinae subfamily of the ovenbird family Furnariidae. It is mainly found in Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, and Peru.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Grey-bellied spinetail</span> Species of bird

The grey-bellied spinetail is a species of bird in the Furnariinae subfamily of the ovenbird family Furnariidae. It is found in Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay, and Uruguay.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Plain-crowned spinetail</span> Species of bird

The plain-crowned spinetail is a species of bird in the Furnariinae subfamily of the ovenbird family Furnariidae. It is found in Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, French Guiana, Guyana, Peru, Suriname, and Venezuela.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cinereous-breasted spinetail</span> Species of bird

The cinereous-breasted spinetail is a species of bird in the Furnariinae subfamily of the ovenbird family Furnariidae. It is found in Bolivia, Brazil, Paraguay, and Peru.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hoary-throated spinetail</span> Species of bird

The hoary-throated spinetail is a Critically Endangered bird species in the Furnariinae subfamily of the ovenbird family Furnariidae. It is found in Brazil and Guyana.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Marañón spinetail</span> Species of bird

The Maranon spinetail is a Critically Endangered species of bird in the Furnariinae subfamily of the ovenbird family Furnariidae. It is found in Ecuador and Peru.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dusky spinetail</span> Species of bird

The dusky spinetail is a species of bird in the Furnariinae subfamily of the ovenbird family Furnariidae. It is found in Colombia, Ecuador, and Peru.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rufous-capped spinetail</span> Species of bird

The rufous-capped spinetail is a species of bird in the Furnariinae subfamily of the ovenbird family Furnariidae. It is found in Argentina, Brazil, and Paraguay.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ruddy spinetail</span> Species of bird

The ruddy spinetail is a species of bird in the Furnariinae subfamily of the ovenbird family Furnariidae. It is found in Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, Guyana, Peru, Suriname, Venezuela, and possibly Guyana.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Necklaced spinetail</span> Species of bird

The necklaced spinetail is a species of ovenbird in the family Furnariidae. It is found in Ecuador and Peru.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Silvery-throated spinetail</span> Species of bird

The silvery-throated spinetail is a species of bird in the Furnariinae subfamily of the ovenbird family Furnariidae. It is endemic to Colombia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rufous spinetail</span> Species of bird

The rufous spinetail is a species of bird in the Furnariinae subfamily of the ovenbird family Furnariidae. It is found in Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, and Venezuela.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Russet-bellied spinetail</span> Species of bird

The russet-bellied spinetail is a Vulnerable species of bird in the Furnariinae subfamily of the ovenbird family Furnariidae. It is endemic to Peru.

References

  1. 1 2 3 BirdLife International (2017). "Blackish-headed Spinetail Synallaxis tithys". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species . 2017: e.T22702334A118476161. doi: 10.2305/IUCN.UK.2017-3.RLTS.T22702334A118476161.en . Retrieved 7 December 2023.
  2. 1 2 Gill, Frank; Donsker, David; Rasmussen, Pamela, eds. (July 2023). "Ovenbirds, woodcreepers". IOC World Bird List. v 13.2. Retrieved July 31, 2023.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Remsen, Jr., J. V. and C. J. Sharpe (2020). Blackish-headed Spinetail (Synallaxis tithys), version 1.0. In Birds of the World (J. del Hoyo, A. Elliott, J. Sargatal, D. A. Christie, and E. de Juana, Editors). Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Ithaca, NY, USA. https://doi.org/10.2173/bow.blhspi1.01 retrieved December 7, 2023
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 Ridgely, Robert S.; Greenfield, Paul J. (2001). The Birds of Ecuador: Field Guide. Vol. II. Ithaca: Cornell University Press. p. 352. ISBN   978-0-8014-8721-7.