| Great spinetail | |
|---|---|
 | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Aves |
| Order: | Passeriformes |
| Family: | Furnariidae |
| Genus: | Synallaxis |
| Species: | S. hypochondriaca |
| Binomial name | |
| Synallaxis hypochondriaca (Salvin, 1895) | |
 | |
| Synonyms | |
Siptornopsis hypochondriaca | |
The great spinetail (Synallaxis hypochondriaca) is a Near Threatened species of bird in the Furnariinae subfamily of the ovenbird family Furnariidae. It is endemic to Peru. [2] [1]
The great spinetail was formerly considered monotypic within the genus Siptornopsis but molecular phylogenetic studies have shown that the previous genus is embedded within Synallaxis . [3] [4] It remains monotypic. [2]
The great spinetail is 17 to 19 cm (6.7 to 7.5 in) long and weighs 23 to 26 g (0.81 to 0.92 oz). It is a large, long-tailed, furnariid. The sexes have the same plumage. Adults have a wide white supercilium, dusky lores and ear coverts, and a creamy whitish malar area. Their crown is dull brown with faint buffy streaks on the forehead. Their back is a lighter brown and their rump and uppertail coverts grayish brown. Their wing coverts are rufous to brownish rufous and the flight feathers dusky with tawny edges. Their tail is graduated and dusky brown. Their throat is white, their breast and flanks white with brown-gray streaks, and their belly and undertail coverts plain white. Their iris is chestnut to reddish brown, their maxilla blue-black with a dusky tip, their mandible black to dark gray, and their legs and feet blue-gray. Juveniles have less streaking on their underparts than adults, with a paler, pinker, mandible. [5]
The great spinetail is found in the upper valley of the Marañón River in northern Peru. It occurs in parts of four departments: southern Amazonas, southeastern Cajamarca, eastern La Libertad and northern Ancash. It inhabits arid montane landscapes with dense scrub, cactus, and Acacia , Bombax , and Alnus trees. In elevation it ranges from 2,000 to 2,800 m (6,600 to 9,200 ft) and possibly to 3,000 m (9,800 ft). [5] [1]
The great spinetail is a year-round resident throughout its range. [1]
The great spinetail feeds on arthropods but details are lacking. It usually forages singly, in pairs, or in small family groups, gleaning its prey from foliage and small branches (and occasionally the ground) up to about 2 m (7 ft) above the ground. [5]
The great spinetail's nest is a large globe of thorny sticks with a side entrance. Nothing else is known about its breeding biology. [5]
The great spinetail's song is "a loud, and rapid spluttering accelerating/decelerating chatter of thk notes that rise and fall, interspersed with nasal dew notes". It is commonly sung in duet. Its calls include "a metallic TCHEE-TCHEE or a much longer tu-ter-CHEE-CHEE-CHEE with the number of CHEE notes slightly variable". [5]
The IUCN originally assessed the great spinetail as Vulnerable but since 2020 has rated it as Near Threatened. It has a limited range and its estimated population of 6000 to 15,000 mature individuals is believed to be decreasing. "The species is strictly dependent on montane arid srub and as such it is sensitive to habitat loss and degradation...The Marañón drainage has been under cultivation for a long time and habitat in the valley has progressively deteriorated." [1]
Ovenbirds or furnariids are a large family of small suboscine passerine birds found from Mexico and Central to southern South America. They form the family Furnariidae. This is a large family containing around 315 species and 70 genera. The ovenbird, which breeds in North America, is not a furnariid – rather it is a distantly related bird of the wood warbler family, Parulidae.
Synallaxis is a genus of birds in the ovenbird family, Furnariidae. It is one of the most diverse genera in the family and is composed of small birds that inhabit dense undergrowth across tropical and subtropical habitats in the Neotropical region. Some species show contrasting plumage patterns involving rufous crown and wing patches and black throat patches but they are difficult to see as they keep ensconced in vegetation most of the time. Most species show the long graduated tail with pointy feathers that is typical of spinetails. They are also characterized by constructing large domed nests with stick, including a long entrance tube. Some species can be difficult to distinguish from one another on the basis of their plumage, but can be told apart by their vocalizations, which can be quite distinctive.
The Bolivian spinetail is a Vulnerable species of bird in the Furnariinae subfamily of the ovenbird family Furnariidae. It is endemic to Bolivia.
The olive spinetail is a species of bird in the Furnariinae subfamily of the ovenbird family Furnariidae. It is found in Argentina, Brazil, and Paraguay.
The pallid spinetail is a species of bird in the Furnariinae subfamily of the ovenbird family Furnariidae. It is endemic to Brazil.
The stripe-crowned spinetail is a species of bird in the Furnariinae subfamily of the ovenbird family Furnariidae. It is found in Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Paraguay, and Uruguay.
Parker's spinetail is a species of bird in the Furnariinae subfamily of the ovenbird family Furnariidae. It is found in Bolivia, Brazil, Ecuador, and Peru.
The red-shouldered spinetail is a species of bird in the ovenbird family Furnariidae. It is endemic to the Caatinga region of north-eastern Brazil. It is threatened by habitat loss.
The white-browed spinetail is a species of bird in the Furnariinae subfamily of the ovenbird family Furnariidae. It is found in Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, and Venezuela.
The streak-backed tit-spinetail, or streaked tit-spinetail, is a species of bird in the Furnariinae subfamily of the ovenbird family Furnariidae. It is found in Chile and Peru.
The tawny tit-spinetail is a species of bird in the Furnariinae subfamily of the ovenbird family Furnariidae. It is found in Argentina, Bolivia, and Peru.
The chestnut-backed thornbird is a Near Threatened species of bird in the family Furnariidae. It is endemic to Peru.
The spot-breasted thornbird is a species of bird in the Furnariinae subfamily of the ovenbird family Furnariidae. It is found in Argentina and Boliva.
The ochre-breasted foliage-gleaner is a species of bird in the Furnariinae subfamily of the ovenbird family Furnariidae. It is found in Argentina, Brazil, and Paraguay.
The chotoy spinetail is a species of bird in the Furnariinae subfamily of the ovenbird family Furnariidae. It is found in Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Paraguay, and Uruguay.
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.
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.
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.
The white-bellied 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, and Peru.
The ochre-cheeked spinetail is a species of bird in the Furnariinae subfamily of the ovenbird family Furnariidae. It is found in Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Paraguay, and Peru.
