Rusty-backed Spinetail (Cranioleuca vulpina)

Identification & Behavior: ~14.5 cm (5.7 in). The Rusty-backed Spinetail has rufous back, tail, and crown. It has a brown iris and whitish superciliary. The sides of the head and underparts are rufous-brown. It forages in pairs or small groups in the understory of flooded forests and overhanging vegetation at the edges of lakes or slow-flowing creeks. The very similar Parker’s Spinetail is uncommon and restricted to river islands at river-created habitats.

Status: The status of the Rusty-backed Spinetail is poorly known in Peru. There are only a few sight records in extreme northeast Peru and central Peru along the Ucayali River. It also occurs in Co, Br, and Bo.

Name in Spanish: Cola-Espina de Dorso Rojizo.

Sub-species: Rusty-backed Spinetail (Cranioleuca vulpina vulpina), Pelzeln, 1856.

Meaning of Name: Cranioleuca: Gr. kranion= skull, head and leukos= white. vulpina: L. vulpes, vulpis= fox. Vulpinus= fox-like (i.e. reddish-brown above, white beneath).

See more of the Family Furnariidae