Silvery-throated Spinetail

Overview

The silvery-throated spinetail (Synallaxis subpudica) is a species of ovenbird endemic to Colombia. It is classified as Least Concern by the IUCN and is considered fairly common within its limited range, tolerating a fair degree of habitat disturbance.

Identification

• Measures 17 to 19 cm in length with a very long, spiny tail that lacks barbs at the feather tips.
• Features a grayish brown face with a thin light cinnamon supercilium, and a rufous-chestnut hindcrown and nape.
• Possesses a gray throat with faint darker mottling and a blackish center, contrasting with dull grayish brown underparts.
• Has a dark reddish brown iris, a blackish gray upper bill, a gray lower bill, and gray legs.
• Produces a fast, accelerating, and descending series of chattering notes, often sung in duet, along with a sharp 'kik' call.

Habitat

Found in Colombia's Eastern Andes, ranging from northern Boyacá Department into Santander Department. It primarily inhabits the edges of montane evergreen forest, second-growth scrublands, and the undergrowth at the edge of cloudforest. Elevation ranges mostly between 2,100 and 3,200 m, though it can be found as low as 1,300 m.

Diet

Although its diet has not been studied, it is assumed to feed mostly on arthropods. It usually forages in pairs, gleaning prey from foliage and small branches typically 1 to 2 m above the ground, though it occasionally forages higher.

Did you know?

Its nest is constructed as a bulky mass of thorny sticks with a horizontal entrance tube and an egg chamber lined with moss. It is believed to benefit from the fragmentation of forest habitats.