| Red-shouldered spinetail | |
|---|---|
 | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Aves |
| Order: | Passeriformes |
| Family: | Furnariidae |
| Genus: | Synallaxis |
| Species: | S. hellmayri |
| Binomial name | |
| Synallaxis hellmayri Reiser, 1905 | |
 | |
| Synonyms | |
Gyalophylax hellmayri | |
The red-shouldered spinetail (Synallaxis hellmayri) is a species of bird in the Furnariinae subfamily of the ovenbird family Furnariidae. It is endemic to Brazil. [2]
The red-shouldered spinetail was long treated as the sole member of genus Gyalophylax but molecular phylogenetic studies show that Gyalophylax is embedded within Synallaxis . [3] The red-shouldered spinetail is monotypic. [2]
The red-shouldered spinetail is 18 to 19 cm (7.1 to 7.5 in) long and weighs 25 to 26 g (0.88 to 0.92 oz). The sexes are thought to have the same plumage. Adults have uniform fuscous brown face, crown, back, rump, and uppertail coverts. Their wing coverts are dull chestnut and their flight feathers brownish gray. Their tail is blackish; it is long and the feathers have blunt tips. Their chin and throat are black. The rest of their underparts are brownish gray with a buffier center to the belly. Their iris is orange to rufescent, their bill black to blackish brown, and their legs and feet gray. Juveniles have grayish wing coverts. [4] [5]
The red-shouldered spinetail is found in eastern Brazil, in an area roughly bounded by Piauí, western Pernambuco, and extreme northern Minas Gerais. It inhabits arid scrubby woodland within the caatinga biome, and favors areas dense with terrestrial bromeliads. In elevation it ranges between 200 and 400 m (700 and 1,300 ft). [4] [5]
The red-shouldered spinetail is a year-round resident throughout its range. [4]
The red-shouldered spinetail feeds mostly on arthropods but also includes seeds in its diet. It usually forages in pairs, gleaning its prey mainly from leaf litter on the ground but also seeking it in foliage and on small branches up to about 2 m (7 ft) above the ground. [4]
The red-shouldered spinetail's breeding season is thought to be from October to April. Its one known nest was a bulky mass of cactus spines about twice as long as wide, with an upward-slanting entrance tube. Nothing else is known about its breeding biology. [4]
The red-shouldered spinetail's song is "a loud, fast, accelerating series that fades towards end...usually introduced with 1–4 quiet, widely spaced dry notes". Pairs exchange "tre-tré" or "tchí-krr" calls while foraging. [4] The species' alarm call is a "high, shrill 'quebéc' ". [5]
The IUCN originally assessed the red-shouldered spinetail in 1994 as Vulnerable, then in 2004 as Near Threatened, and since 2017 as being of Least Concern. It has a fairly large range and an unknown population size that is believed to be decreasing. "Despite being more widespread and less habitat-restricted than previously thought, it is still threatened by conversion for agriculture, intensive grazing and burning, and exploitation of woody caatinga for charcoal." [1] It is considered fairly widespread and locally common within its range. [4]
The great xenops is a species of bird in the Furnariinae subfamily of the ovenbird family Furnariidae. It is endemic to eastern Brazil.
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 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.
The sulphur-bearded reedhaunter or sulphur-throated spinetail is a species of bird in the Furnariinae subfamily of the ovenbird family Furnariidae. It is found in Argentina, Brazil, 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 Araucaria tit-spinetail is a Near Threatened species of bird in the Furnariinae subfamily of the ovenbird family Furnariidae. It is found in Argentina and Brazil.
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 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 great spinetail is a Near Threatened species of bird in the Furnariinae subfamily of the ovenbird family Furnariidae. It is endemic to Peru.
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.
The necklaced spinetail is a species of ovenbird in the family Furnariidae. It is found in Ecuador and Peru.
The silvery-throated spinetail is a species of bird in the Furnariinae subfamily of the ovenbird family Furnariidae. It is endemic to Colombia.
The russet-bellied spinetail is a Vulnerable species of bird in the Furnariinae subfamily of the ovenbird family Furnariidae. It is endemic to Peru.
The Chinchipe spinetail is a species of bird in the family Furnariidae, the ovenbirds. It is endemic to Peru.
