Bird Guide

Necklaced Spinetail vs Rusty-headed Spinetail

Necklaced Spinetail (Synallaxis stictothorax)

Necklaced Spinetail

Synallaxis stictothorax

Tiny10 gShrubland

The necklaced spinetail is 11 to 13 cm (4.3 to 5.1 in) long and weighs 10 to 14 g (0.35 to 0.49 oz). It is one of the smallest members of genus Synallaxis. The sexes have the same plumage. Adults of the nominate subspecies have a white supercilium on an otherwise blackish face with faint whitish streaks. Their forecrown has black and white streaks. The rest of their crown is dull grayish brown, their back slightly browner, their rump rufescent-brown, and their uppertail coverts bright rufous. The wing has whitish at the bend; the coverts and secondaries are rufous and the primaries dusky. Voice: The necklaced spinetail's principal song is "a short stuttering chatter ending with several squeaky emphasized notes...trrr-tr-tr-kweet...kweet". Pairs sing in duet, usually in the early morning and late afternoon, and usually from deep in dense vegetation though sometimes from a visible perch. Its calls include a "long rattled series of notes...

ID text from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0

Sonogram of the Necklaced Spinetail
Recorded by Niels Krabbe · Call, excited calls · El Oro: Carcabon, Arenillas Ecological Reserve, Ecuador · CC BY-SA 4.0
Photo: Dan Vickers · CC BY 4.0
Rusty-headed Spinetail (Synallaxis fuscorufa)

Rusty-headed Spinetail

Synallaxis fuscorufa

Small16 gForest

The rusty-headed spinetail is 16 to 18 cm (6.3 to 7.1 in) long and weighs 15 to 17 g (0.53 to 0.60 oz). The sexes have the same plumage. Adults are mostly bright reddish rufous. They do have dark lores, a dull grayish olive back, olive flanks, and a somewhat duller rufous tail. Their iris is reddish brown, their maxilla black, their mandible blue-gray, and their legs and feet gray to blue-gray. Juveniles have a much duller crown than adults, and tawny-olive edges on their underparts' feathers and faint barring on their belly. Their irises are light brown and their mandible yellowish pink. Voice: The rusty-headed spinetail's song is "3 fast notes, di-di-du". It is often repeated at short intervals for minutes at a time.

ID text from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0

Photo: (c) Christoph Moning, some rights reserved (CC BY), uploaded by Christoph Moning · cc-by

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Photos and recordings are credited to their authors under the licence shown. Full profiles: Necklaced Spinetail and Rusty-headed Spinetail.