Bird Guide

Rufous-capped Spinetail vs Rufous Spinetail

Rufous-capped Spinetail (Synallaxis ruficapilla)

Rufous-capped Spinetail

Synallaxis ruficapilla

Tiny14 gForest

The rufous-capped spinetail is 13 to 17 cm (5.1 to 6.7 in) long and weighs 12 to 16 g (0.42 to 0.56 oz). The sexes have the same plumage. Adults have a wide buff supercilium and dark brownish gray lores and ear coverts. Their crown and nape are bright orange-rufous and their back, rump, and uppertail coverts are rufescent brown. Their wings are mostly chestnut-brown. Their tail is chestnut; it is graduated and the feathers have pointed tips. Their chin has a tiny tawny spot; the rest of their chin and throat are whitish with faint gray streaks. Voice: The rufous-capped spinetail's song has variously been described as "a fast nasal 'di-di-di-réét' ", "tdrrrWit", and "a quiet, insistent 'drrrrrt wee' ". Its call is "a distinctive low-pitched trill, 'tshrrr' " also described as a "dry rattle, like 'trrrrruh' ".

ID text from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0

Photo: Marcelo Schmidt Roberti · CC BY 4.0
Rufous Spinetail (Synallaxis unirufa)

Rufous Spinetail

Synallaxis unirufa

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The rufous spinetail is 16 to 18 cm (6.3 to 7.1 in) long and weighs 17 to 21 g (0.60 to 0.74 oz). It is one of the larger members of genus Synallaxis. The sexes have the same plumage. Adults of the nominate subspecies S. u. unirufa are mostly bright reddish rufous. Their forehead is slightly paler and they have sooty blackish lores. Their throat feathers have black bases that are seldom visible. Their iris is dark brown to dark reddish brown, their bill black with sometimes a pale base to the mandible, and their legs and feet gray to dark gray. Voice: The subspecies of the rufous spinetail have significantly different vocalizations, which hints that some of them may warrant full species status. "An in depth study is clearly required to gain a better understanding of the taxonomic relationships in this complex." The details of the subspecies' vocalizations are: S. u.

ID text from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0

Sonogram of the Rufous Spinetail
Recorded by Niels Krabbe · Song · Zamora-Chinchipe: Reserva Tapichalaca, Ecuador · CC BY-SA 4.0
Photo: José Loaiza , Aves y Conservación · Public domain

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Photos and recordings are credited to their authors under the licence shown. Full profiles: Rufous-capped Spinetail and Rufous Spinetail.