Pale-breasted Spinetail

Overview

The pale-breasted spinetail, Synallaxis albescens, is a passerine bird belonging to the Furnariinae subfamily of the ovenbird family Furnariidae. It inhabits a vast range across Central and South America, occurring in Costa Rica, Panama, Trinidad, and nearly every mainland South American country except Chile and Ecuador.

Identification

• Length 13 to 16 cm and weighing 9 to 17 g, slightly smaller with a shorter bill than most other Synallaxis species.
• Nominate adults feature a pale brownish-gray face, olive grayish-brown forehead, and a dark rufous crown, with a whitish throat flecked with black and a pale buffy-gray breast.
• Song is described as a sharp, scratchy "zwee-bit" or "wéetjirr", often sung for long periods, accompanied by calls such as a sharp "bip" or a long rattling "churrr".

Habitat

This species inhabits a wide variety of open grassy landscapes, including savanna, cerrado, shrub-steppe, pastures, and the edges of secondary forest, marshes, and roadsides. It is generally found below 1,500 m in elevation, though in Colombia it can be found up to 1,800 m.

Diet

The pale-breasted spinetail feeds on a wide variety of arthropods and also consumes small snails. It usually forages in pairs, gleaning prey from grass, foliage, small branches, and the ground, typically staying below 2 m in height.

Did you know?

Although it is a member of the ovenbird family, which is named for the clay nests many species construct, the pale-breasted spinetail builds a globe of grass and thorny sticks with a horizontal entrance tube lined with soft plant material.