Tawny Tit-Spinetail

Overview

The Sylviorthorhynchus yanacensis, commonly known as the tawny tit-spinetail, is a species of bird in the ovenbird family Furnariidae. It is a year-round resident found in Argentina, Bolivia, and Peru, and is currently classified as Least Concern by the IUCN.

Identification

• Adults measure 16 to 17.5 cm in length and feature a mostly bright cinnamon buff face with a tawny rufous forehead and tawny brown crown.
• The underparts are bright cinnamon buff, while the rump and uppertail coverts are rufous; the tail is graduated and rufous.
• The bill is dark brown to black, and the legs and feet are dark gray to blackish.
• The song consists of rapid, loud, sharp chips that accelerate into a chatter, transcribed as 'tchp tchp tchp-tchi'tchi'tchi'tchi'tchi'tchi-tchp'.

Habitat

The species primarily inhabits Polylepis woodland but also occurs in montane scrublands and some grasslands. It is found at elevations between 2,800 and 4,600 m across its range in Peru, Bolivia, and Argentina.

Diet

The diet consists mostly of arthropods with small amounts of plant material. It forages in pairs or small groups, often joining mixed-species feeding flocks, by gleaning prey from leaves, twigs, and bark, sometimes hanging upside down or foraging on the ground.

Did you know?

The only known nest of this species was a ball of grass stems with a side entrance, lined with plant fibers, feathers, and threads, situated in a fork of a Polylepis tree 2.5 m above the ground.