The necklaced spinetail (''Synallaxis stictothorax'') is a species of ovenbird in the family Furnariidae. Found in

Ecuador Ecuador ( ; ; Quechuan languages, Quechua: ''Ikwayur''; Shuar language, Shuar: ''Ecuador'' or ''Ekuatur''), officially the Republic of Ecuador ( es, República del Ecuador, which literally translates as "Republic of the Equator"; Quechuan ...

and

Peru , image_flag = Flag of Peru.svg , image_coat = Escudo nacional del Perú.svg , other_symbol = Great Seal of the State , other_symbol_type = Seal (emblem), National seal , national_motto = "Fi ...

, its natural

habitat In ecology, the term habitat summarises the array of resources, physical and biotic factors that are present in an area, such as to support the survival and reproduction of a particular species. A species habitat can be seen as the physical ...

is subtropical or tropical dry

shrubland Shrubland, scrubland, scrub, brush, or bush is a plant community characterized by vegetation dominated by shrubs, often also including grasses, herbs, and geophytes. Shrubland may either occur naturally or be the result of human activity. It ...

. In early 2021, the former subspecies ''S. s. chinchipensis'' was elevated to species status as Chinchipe spinetail (''S. chinchipensis'').

Description

The necklaced spinetail is about long. The forehead is marked with black and white, and there is a white streak above the eye. The upper parts of the body, the wings and the tail are reddish brown. The flanks are buff and the tail feathers have blackish centres giving the tail a bicoloured effect. The throat and underparts are white, with some fine, dark, transverse streaks on the breast. Synallaxis stictothorax

Distribution and habitat

The necklaced spinetail is native to Ecuador and northern Peru. Its natural habitat is the borders of deciduous forest and arid scrub at altitudes of less than above sea level.

Behaviour

The necklaced spinetail is more arboreal, rather bolder and more easily observed than most other members of its

genus Genus ( plural genera ) is a taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms as well as viruses. In the hierarchy of biological classification, genus comes above species and below family. In binomial n ...

. The song is a distinctive series of sputtering notes, slowly descending and becoming less rapid and fading away at the conclusion. It is often sung from a perch near the bird's nest, or even from within this conspicuous structure which is globular, with a side entrance, and is made of sticks. This bird feeds, often in pairs, on small

invertebrate Invertebrates are a paraphyletic group of animals that neither possess nor develop a vertebral column (commonly known as a ''backbone'' or ''spine''), derived from the notochord. This is a grouping including all animals apart from the chordate ...

s which it finds when foraging on the ground in the leaf litter or in the low branches of trees and shrubs.

Status

The necklaced spinetail is a fairly common bird within its rather restricted range. The total number of birds has not been estimated but the population trend seems to be stable so the

International Union for Conservation of Nature The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN; officially International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources) is an international organization working in the field of nature conservation and sustainable use of natur ...

has assessed its conservation status as being of "

least concern A least-concern species is a species that has been categorized by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) as evaluated as not being a focus of species conservation because the specific species is still plentiful in the wild. Th ...

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q1259233 necklaced spinetail Birds of Ecuador Birds of Peru Birds of the Tumbes-Chocó-Magdalena necklaced spinetail necklaced spinetail Taxonomy articles created by Polbot