Marcapata Spinetail (Cranioleuca marcapatae)

Order: Passeriformes | Family: Furnariidae | IUCN Status: Least Concern


Age: Adult | Sex: Unknown | Loc. Abra Malaga, Cuzco

marcapata-spinetail
Age: Adult | Sex: Unknown | Loc. Abra Malaga, Cuzco

marcapata-spinetail
Age: Adult | Sex: Unknown | Loc. Mantaro Valley

marcapata-spinetail
Age: Adult | Sex: Unknown | Loc. Mantaro Valley


Identification & Behavior: ~17 cm (6.6 in). The Marcapata Spinetail has a rufous back and tail. The crown can be rufous (marcapatae) or white (weskei) bordered by a black and a white or buffy double superciliary. The sides of the head, neck, and most of the underparts are brown or gray-brown. The throat is whitish. It forages in the understory of humid montane forests where it is often associated with bamboo thickets. The Marcapata Spinetail does not geographically overlap with the very similar Light-crowned Spinetail. Also, see Creamy-crested Spinetail.

Status: Endemic. The rufous-crowned subspecies of the Marcapata Spinetail occurs on the east slope of the southeast Andes. The white-crowned subspecies is confined to the Mantaro Valley and parts of the Cordillera Vilcabamba in Cuzco generally at elevations ranging between 2400-3350 m.

Name in Spanish: Cola-Espina de Marcapata.

Sub-species: Marcapata Spinetail (Cranioleuca marcapatae weskei), Remsen, 1984.  Vilcabamba Mts, in SE Peru (Cuzco); recently recorded also in Junín and NE Ayacucho.
(Cranioleuca marcapatae marcapatae), J. T. Zimmer, 1935.  Vilcanota and Carabaya ranges (Cuzco).

Meaning of Name: Cranioleuca: Gr. kranion= skull, head and leukos= white. marcapatae: Originating from or associated with Marcapata, Cuzco, Peru.

See more of the Family Furnariidae  peru aves

Distribution Mapmarcapata spinetail

Voice


References:

    • Species range based on: Schulenberg, T. S., D. F. Stotz, and L. Rico. 2006. Distribution maps of the birds of Peru, version 1.0. Environment, Culture & Conservation (ECCo). The Field Museum.  http://fm2.fieldmuseum.org/uw_test/birdsofperu on 03/01/2017.