OVENBIRDS   -   FURNARIIDAE   -   PART II

Tit-spinetails to canasteros

Brown-capped Tit-Spinetail Leptasthenura fuliginiceps paranensis Los Cardones NP, Salta province, Argentina. In mountains from Bolivia to northern Argentina. (S5)

Plain-mantled Tit-Spinetail Leptasthenura aegithaloides grisescens Chaca Valley, Region I, Chile. (S5)

Striolated Tit-Spinetail Leptasthenura striolata Aparados da Serra National Park, Rio Grande do Sul state, Brazil. Another Brazilian endemic, occurring in an inexplicably small area in southern Brazil. (D4)

Rusty-crowned Tit-Spinetail Leptasthenura pileata cajabambae Cajamarca-Celendín road, Cajamarca department, Peru. Endemic to the Peruvian Andes. (S6)

Andean Tit-Spinetail Leptasthenura andicola andicola Papallacta Pass, Pichincha province, Ecuador. (S5)

Araucaria Tit-Spinetail Leptasthenura setaria Hotel Veraneio Hampel, São Francisco de Paula, Rio Grande de Sul state, Brazil. A neat little bird that seems to be totally restricted to Araucaria trees; I have never seen one land in any other kind of tree. Almost endemic to Brazil, but it does get into Argentina around Iguazú Falls. (D4)

Des Murs's Wiretail Sylviorthorhynchus desmursii Chiloe Island, Region X, Chile. Sadly, this individual was missing the long cental pair of tail feathers that give it it's name. It is found through most of Chile and parts of adjacent Argentina. It is restricted to bamboo. (S5)

Chotoy Spinetail Schoeniophylax phryganophilus phryganophilus Pantanal Highway, Mato Grosso state, Brazil. A beautiful and unique spinetail in its own monotypic genus. It is found in lightly wooded areas from Bolivia to Uruguay and northern Argentina. (D3)

Chotoy Spinetail Schoeniophylax phryganophilus phryganophilus Pantanal Highway, Mato Grosso state, Brazil. Now that's a tail! (S6)

Pinto's Spinetail Synallaxis infuscata RPPN Frei Caneca, Pernambuco state, Brazil. An endangered endemic restricted to the northeastern remnants of the Atlantic Rainforest in Brazil. (S6)

Gray-bellied Spinetail Synallaxis cinerascens Pico da Caledônia, Rio de Janeiro state, Brazil. Endemic to the Atlantic Forest highlands. (S6)

Silvery-throated Spinetail Synallaxis subpudica Cerro de Guadalupe, Bogotá Colombia. Endemic to the eastern Andes of Colombia. It is not well named; there is ony a narrow silvery border around its otherwise dark throat. (S5)

Sooty-fronted Spinetail Synallaxis frontalis frontalis Serra do Cipó NP, Minas Gerais state, Brazil. Found in lightly wooded areas from central Brazil to northern Argentina. (S5f)

Spix's Spinetail Synallaxis spixi Mucugê, Chapada Diamantina, Bahia state, Brazil. Here at the northern limit of its range. Some books still call this Chicli Spinetail, a name mistakenly given to the bird many years ago, probably due to confusing its voice with that of Sooty-fronted Spinetail S. frontalis. (D3)

Cinereous-breasted Spinetail Synallaxis hypospodia RPPN Frei Caneca, Pernambuco state, Brazil. (S6)

Ruddy Spinetail Synallaxis rutilans caquetensis Yasuní Research Station, Orellana province, Ecuador. This was another incredibly hard bird to photograph. It lives only in the deepest, darkest tangles of the rainforest floor, and it's rare to boot. I did resort to flash on this one, but flash often doesn't work well under these circumstances. There is so much vegetation around that the flash ends up getting blocked by leaves and branches, causing unexpected shadows on the image. But again, there is virtually nothing out there for this species, so here it is. (S6)

Rufous-breasted Spinetail Synallaxis erythrothorax pacific Northeast of Mapastepec, Chiapas state, Mexico. Mexico's only spinetail. (S5)

White-lored Spinetail Synallaxis albilora albilora Pantanal Wildlife Center (Fazenda Santa Tereza), Mato Grosso state, Brazil. This spinetail is nearly endemic to the Pantanal. (S6)

Ochre-cheeked Spinetail Synallaxis scutata whitii Calilgua NP, Jujuy province, Argentina. One of the more colorful of the Synallaxis spinetails. It has a rather large range from eastern Brazil to northwestern Argentina, but is quite localized. (S5)

Necklaced (Chinchipe) Spinetail Synallaxis stictothorax chinchipensis Las Juntas, Cajamarca department, Peru. This taxon is endemic to the middle Marañon valley of Northern Peru. Currently lumped by SACC with Necklaced Spinetails of the Tumbesian region (stictothorax & maculata), but differences in voice and disjunct range suggest that it deserves full species status. (S6)

Great Spinetail Siptornopsis hypochondriaca San Marcos, Cajamarca department, Peru. This monotypic genus is endemic to the upper Marañon valley of Peru, where it is locally common in arid woodland and scrub. (S6)

Red-shouldered Spinetail Gyalophylax hellmayri Palmeiras, Bahia state, Brazil. A unique "spinetail" endemic to the caatinga of NE Brazil. Other than a superficial similarity, it is not very spinetail-like. It's in a monotypic genus, and is unique among spinetails in being partly terrestrial. (S6)

White-browed Spinetail Hellmayrea gularis gularis Yanacocha, Pichincha province, Ecuador. A common but skulking bird of temperate Andean forests. (S5)

Stripe-crowned Spinetail Cranioleuca pyrrhophia pyrrhophia Dique Campo Alegre, Salta province, Argentina. A characteristic species of open woodland in the northern half of Argentina, also occuring in Uruguay and parts of Bolivia, Paraguay, and extreme southern Brazil. (S6)

Pallid Spinetail Cranioleuca pallida Intervales State Park, São Paulo state, Brazil. Endemic to the mountains of Southeast Brazil. (S6)

Red-faced Spinetail Cranioleuca erythrops erythrops Tandayapa Bird Lodge, Pichincha province, Ecuador. Occurs from Costa Rica to western Ecuador. It seems to be more common in the southern part of its range. (S6)

Red-faced Spinetail Cranioleuca erythrops erythrops Tandayapa Bird Lodge, Pichincha province, Ecuador. Clinging to its nest. (S6)

Streak-capped Spinetail Cranioleuca hellmayri El Dorado reserve, Santa Marta mountains, Magdalena department, Colombia. This pretty spinetail is nearly endemic to the Santa Marta mountains. There is one specimen from the Venezuelan side of the Sierra de Perijá, but to my knowledge the species has never been found there since. (S6)

Ash-browed Spinetail Cranioleuca curtata cisandina Old Loja-Zamora highway, Zamora-Chinchipe province, Ecuador. (D3)

Baron's Spinetail Cranioleuca baroni baroni Utcubamba Valley, Amazonas department, Peru. A Peruvian endemic, found in the Andes in the northern half of the country. (S6)

Yellow-chinned Spinetail Certhiaxis cinnamomeus russeola Reserva Ecologica de Guapi Assu, Rio de Janeiro state, Brazil. This one is always found around still water (fresh or salt). The yellow chin is not always obvious in the field. (D2)

Russet-mantled Softtail Thripophaga berlepschi Rio Chido trail, San Lorenzo, Amazonas department, Peru. A scarce Peruvian endemic found in Andean temperate forest on the east slope in the northern part of the country. Most easily accessible sites have been deforested. (S6)

Creamy-breasted Canastero Asthenes dorbignyi dorbignyi La Cuesta del Obispo, Salta province, Argentina. This species is going to be split into three. The nominate race, found in the Andes of Bolivia & N Argentina, will likely get a new name, Rusty-vented Canastero. (S5)

Cipo Canastero Asthenes luizae Serra do Cipó, Minas Gerais state, Brazil. Endemic to rocky highlands of an isolated mountain range in southeastern Brazil. Described to science only in 1990. (S5)

Austral Canastero Asthenes anthoides Torres del Paine National Park, Region XII, Chile. (D3)

Many-striped Canastero Asthenes flammulata flammulata Papallacta Pass, Pichincha province, Ecuador. (S5)

Puna Canastero Asthenes sclateri lilloi La Cuesta del Obispo, Salta province, Argentina. Inhabits high Andean puna from SE Peru to N Argentina, though there is an isolated subspecies in the Sierra de Córdoba in Argentina. (S5)

Streak-throated Canastero Asthenes humilis cajamarcae Cajamarca-Celendín road, Cajamarca department, Peru. Found in the high Andes from Peru to Bolivia. It seems to like rocky areas with tall grass or bushes. (S6)

Cordilleran Canastero Asthenes modesta modesta Lauca National Park, Region I, Chile. Carrying food. There must have been a nest nearby, but it wouldn't go in while I was standing there. (S5)

Cactus Canastero Pseudasthenes cactorum lachayensis Lomas de Lachay, Lima department, Peru. This species has been moved to a different genus than the other canasteros, but I've kept it here out of taxonomical order. It's endemic to very dry, cactus-filled slopes of western Peru. (S6)

Itatiaia Spinetail (Thistletail) Asthenes moreirae Algulhas Negras road, Itatiaia NP, Rio de Janeiro state, Brazil. This Brazilian endemic (with the thistletails) was recently transfered to Asthenes, the same genus as the Canasteros. I'm not sure that I like that classification, but at least the thistletails were given the same treatment; to me it is far more like a thistletail in plumage, voice, and behavior. (S5)

White-chinned Thistletail Asthenes fuliginosa fuliginosa Papallacta Pass, Pichincha province, Ecuador. (S5)

White-chinned Thistletail Asthenes fuliginosa fuliginosa Papallacta Pass, Pichincha province, Ecuador. Probably the same individual as in the previous photo. (S5)

Mouse-colored Thistletail Asthenes griseomurina Cerro Toledo, Loja province, Ecuador. Restricted to scrub on the edge of páramo from southern Ecuador to northern Peru. (S5)