Parker's Spinetail
Cranioleuca vulpecula
The Parker's Spinetail (Cranioleuca vulpecula) is a rare ovenbirds and woodcreeper found in 5 countries, weighing about 19 g. Parker's spinetail is a species of bird in the Furnariinae subfamily of the ovenbird family Furnariidae.




About the Parker's Spinetail
Parker's spinetail is a species of bird in the Furnariinae subfamily of the ovenbird family Furnariidae. It is found in Bolivia, Brazil, Ecuador, and Peru.
Text adapted from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
How to identify it
Parker's spinetail is 13 to 16 cm (5.1 to 6.3 in) long and weighs 16 to 20 g (0.56 to 0.71 oz). The sexes have the same plumage. Adults have a faint buff supercilium and lores on an otherwise dusky gray face. Their crown, back, rump, and uppertail coverts are rufous; the forecrown has narrow buff streaks. Their tail and wings are also rufous. Their throat is white, and the rest of their underparts are light brown or light brownish gray with indistinct whitish mottling. Voice: The song of Parker's spinetail is "an accelerating and descending series of nasal notes that ends in a chortle, e.g. tew-tew-tew-tew-trrrrrr" and is similarly described as "an accelerating, rising-falling chatter of nasal notes: teer teew-tew'tu'tutrrr". Its calls include "a sharp, fast chut-chut" given singly or tripled and "a longer, descending chatter, tchew-tew'tu'tu.
What the Parker's Spinetail sounds like
Where it lives
When to see it
Best months: January, February, March, May, June, July, August, September, October, November, December, with peak activity in July. It is a resident species across most of its range.
Easily confused with
Quick questions
- How do you identify a Parker's Spinetail?
- Parker's spinetail is 13 to 16 cm (5.1 to 6.3 in) long and weighs 16 to 20 g (0.56 to 0.71 oz). Full identification notes are on this page.
- How big is a Parker's Spinetail?
- The Parker's Spinetail is a small sized bird weighing about 19 g.
- Where can you see a Parker's Spinetail?
- The Parker's Spinetail occurs in 5 countries, including Peru, Ecuador, Brazil, Colombia and Bolivia.
- What does a Parker's Spinetail sound like?
- You can listen to 3 field recordings of the Parker's Spinetail on this page, contributed to xeno-canto under open licences.
- What birds look similar to a Parker's Spinetail?
- The Parker's Spinetail is most easily confused with the Marcapata Spinetail, the Grey-headed Spinetail and the Light-crowned Spinetail.
- Is the Parker's Spinetail endangered?
- The Parker's Spinetail is listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List.
Learn the Parker's Spinetail for real
BeakBrain drills you on photos and calls until you can greet this bird by name in the field. Free to play, on any device.
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