Rusty-headed Spinetail

Overview

The rusty-headed spinetail (Synallaxis fuscorufa) is a Near Threatened bird species endemic to northern Colombia. It belongs to the ovenbird family Furnariidae and is currently assessed as Near Threatened by the IUCN.

Identification

• Males and females are both 16–18 cm long with predominantly bright reddish rufous plumage, a dull grayish olive back, and olive flanks.
• The head features dark lores, while the bill has a black maxilla and a blue-gray mandible.
• Legs and feet are gray to blue-gray; the song consists of '3 fast notes, di-di-du', repeated at short intervals for minutes.

Habitat

This species is found exclusively in the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta in northern Colombia. It inhabits bushy forest edges, overgrown clearings, and second-growth scrub in subtropical and temperate zones, typically between 2,000 and 3,000 m in elevation but occasionally as low as 760 m.

Diet

The rusty-headed spinetail feeds on arthropods. It usually forages in pairs, gleaning prey from foliage and small branches in dense cover up to approximately 2 m above the ground.

Did you know?

Although its breeding season appears to run from January to June, nothing else is currently known about its breeding biology.