White-chinned Thistletail (Asthenes fuliginosa)

Identification & Behavior: ~19.5 cm (7.6 in). The White-chinned Thistletail has rufous-brown upperparts and crown. The underparts and superciliary are grayish. The throat is finely streaked with whitish without an orange chin patch. The tail is very long rufous-brown, strongly graduated with the wispy tips. It forages in humid scrub and forest edges general near treeline. It is similar to the Azara’s Spinetail but is distinguished by uniform rufous brown upperparts and crows and by ranging at higher elevations.

Status: The White-chinned Thistletail is uncommon on the east slope of the Andes on the south side of the Marañon River at elevations ranging between 2800-3300 m. It also occurs in Co and Ec.

Name in Spanish: Cola-Cardo de Barbilla Blanca.

Sub-species: White-chinned Thistletail (Asthenes fuliginosa peruviana), Cory, 1916.  Andes of N Peru (Amazonas).
(Asthenes fuliginosa plengei), O’Neill and T. A. Parker, 1976.  Andes of C Peru (San Martín S to Pasco).

Meaning of Name: Asthenes: Gr. a= a negative prefix and sthenos= power. asthenes= insignificant, powerless. fuliginosa: L. fuligo, fuliginis= soot. Fuliginosus= sooty, covered with soot.

See more of the Family Furnariidae