| Stripe-breasted spinetail | |
|---|---|
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Scientific classification  | |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Aves |
| Order: | Passeriformes |
| Family: | Furnariidae |
| Genus: | Synallaxis |
| Species: | S. cinnamomea |
| Binomial name | |
| Synallaxis cinnamomea Lafresnaye, 1843 | |
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The stripe-breasted spinetail (Synallaxis cinnamomea) is a passerine bird in the Furnariinae subfamily of the ovenbird family Furnariidae. It is found in Colombia, Trinidad, Tobago, and Venezuela. [2]
The stripe-breasted spinetail has these seven subspecies: [2]
The stripe-breasted spinetail is closely related to the ruddy spinetail (S. rutilans) and chestnut-throated spinetail (S. cherriei). [3]
The stripe-breasted spinetail is 14 to 16 cm (5.5 to 6.3 in) long and weighs 15 to 23 g (0.53 to 0.81 oz). It has one of the shortest tails of genus Synallaxis. The sexes have the same plumage. Adults of the nominate subspecies S. c. cinnamomea have a faint pale supercilium on an otherwise dull rufous face. Their crown, nape, back, rump, and uppertail coverts are rich brown. Their wings are rufous-chestnut with blackish tips on their flight feathers. Their tail is rich brown; it is graduated and the ends of the feathers lack barbs giving a spiny appearance. Their throat is streaked black on white. Their underparts are rufous with fulvous streaks (unique in Synallaxis); the belly is paler than the rest with duller streaks. Their iris is reddish to creamy brown to dark brown, their maxilla dark horn to black, their mandible gray-horn or pinkish with a dark horn tip, and their legs and feet black to grayish to pale gray-brown. Juveniles are browner than adults, with a less distinct and less black throat and less distinct streaks on the underparts. [4] [5]
The other subspecies of the stripe-breasted spinetail differ from the nominate and each other thus: [4] [5]
The dramatic plumage differences between the nominate and bolivari hint that the latter might be a separate species; "further work needed". [4]
The stripe-breasted spinetail has a disjunct distribution. The subspecies are found thus: [4] [5]
On the South American mainland the stripe-breasted spinetail inhabits a variety of landscapes, primarily subtropical and tropical deciduous forest, gallery forest, and arid montane and second-growth scrublands. It also inhabits undergrowth in the interior and edges of tropical lowland and lower montane forest, and locally occurs in second-growth woodlands and overgrown coffee plantations. On Trinidad and Tobago it primarily inhabits the undergrowth of forests. In elevation it ranges between 800 and 3,100 m (2,600 and 10,200 ft) in Colombia and between 700 and 2,000 m (2,300 and 6,600 ft) in Venezuela. [4] [5]
The stripe-breasted spinetail is a year-round resident throughout its range. [4]
The stripe-breasted spinetail feeds on arthropods. It typically forages in pairs and occasionally joins mixed-species feeding flocks. It gleans prey from foliage and branches up to about 2 m (7 ft) above the ground, and on the ground explores leaf litter for prey. [4]
The stripe-breasted spinetail breeds at any time of the year on Trinidad and at a minimum between March and August on Tobago; its breeding season in Colombia and Venezuela are not known. Though it is a member of the ovenbird family, which is named for the clay nests many species make, the stripe-breasted spinetail constructs a globe of sticks and leaves with an entrance tunnel on top. It can be placed on sloping ground or in a bush up to about 3 m (10 ft) above the ground. The clutch size is three eggs. The incubation period, time to fledging, and details of parental care are not known. [4]
The stripe-breasted spinetail's song is two notes, of which the second is lower but rising, " a nasal, sharp 'chík-kweek' or 'chúrt-wert' " that is often repeated for long periods. [4] [5] Its calls are a "soft, whining 'peeeur' or querulous 'chew' ". [4]
The IUCN has assessed the stripe-breasted spinetail as being of Least Concern. It has a large range and though its population size is not known it is believed to be stable. No immediate threats have been identified. [1] It is considered fairly common in Colombia, common on Trindad and Tobago, very common on the Paria Peninsula, and local in the Venzuelan Andes. It occurs in several protected areas and "[t]hrives in forested areas opened by cutting". [4]
