''Synallaxis'' is a

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 ...

bird Birds are a group of warm-blooded vertebrates constituting the class Aves (), characterised by feathers, toothless beaked jaws, the laying of hard-shelled eggs, a high metabolic rate, a four-chambered heart, and a strong yet lightweig ...

s in the ovenbird family, Furnariidae. It is one of the most diverse genera in the family and is composed of small birds that inhabit dense undergrowth across tropical and subtropical habitats in the

Neotropical The Neotropical realm is one of the eight biogeographic realms constituting Earth's land surface. Physically, it includes the tropical terrestrial ecoregions of the Americas and the entire South American temperate zone. Definition In bi ...

region. Some species show contrasting plumage patterns involving rufous crown and wing patches and black throat patches but they are difficult to see as they keep ensconced in vegetation most of the time. Most species show the long graduated tail with pointy feathers that is typical of spinetails. They are also characterized by constructing large domed nests with stick, including a long entrance tube. Some species can be difficult to distinguish from one another on the basis of their plumage, but can be tell apart by their vocalizations, which can be quite distinctive.

List of species

The genus contains 36 species: *

Ochre-cheeked spinetail The ochre-cheeked spinetail (''Synallaxis scutata'') is a species of bird in the family Furnariidae. It is found in Bolivia, Brazil and northwestern Argentina. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical dry forest A forest is an ar ...

(''Synallaxis scutata'') * Grey-bellied spinetail (''Synallaxis cinerascens'') * Plain-crowned spinetail (''Synallaxis gujanensis'') *

White-lored spinetail The white-lored spinetail (''Synallaxis albilora'') is a species of bird in the family Furnariidae. It is found in Bolivia, Brazil, and Paraguay. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical moist lowland forest A forest is an area o ...

(''Synallaxis albilora'') *

Marañón spinetail The Marañón spinetail (''Synallaxis maranonica'') is a species of bird in the family Furnariidae. It is found in Ecuador and Peru. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical dry forests, subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests ...

(''Synallaxis maranonica'') *

Great spinetail The great spinetail (''Synallaxis hypochondriaca'') is a species of bird in the family Furnariidae. It is endemic to Peru where its natural habitat is Mediterranean-type shrubby vegetation. It is threatened by habitat loss. This species was f ...

(''Synallaxis hypochondriaca'') * Chinchipe spinetail (''Synallaxis chinchipensis'') *

Necklaced spinetail The necklaced spinetail (''Synallaxis stictothorax'') is a species of ovenbird in the family Furnariidae. Found in Ecuador and Peru, its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical dry shrubland. In early 2021, the former subspecies ''S. s. chin ...

(''Synallaxis stictothorax'') *

Russet-bellied spinetail The russet-bellied spinetail (''Synallaxis zimmeri'') is a species of bird in the family Furnariidae. It is endemic to Peru. Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical high-altitude shrubland Shrubland, scrubland, scrub, brush, or b ...

(''Synallaxis zimmeri'') *

Slaty spinetail The slaty spinetail or slaty castlebuilder, (''Synallaxis brachyura''), is a passerine bird which breeds in the tropical New World from northern Honduras to western Ecuador and east-central Brazil. It is a member of the South American bi ...

(''Synallaxis brachyura'') *

Silvery-throated spinetail The silvery-throated spinetail (''Synallaxis subpudica'') is a species of bird in the family Furnariidae. It is endemic to Colombia. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical moist montane forest Montane ecosystems are found on the ...

(''Synallaxis subpudica'') * Red-shouldered spinetail (''Synallaxis hellmayri'') *

Rufous-capped spinetail The rufous-capped spinetail (''Synallaxis ruficapilla'') is a species of bird in the family Furnariidae. It is found in the southern Atlantic Forest. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical moist lowland forest Tropical and subtro ...

(''Synallaxis ruficapilla'') *

Bahia spinetail The Bahia spinetail (''Synallaxis cinerea'') is a species of bird in the family Furnariidae. It is endemic to Brazil. Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical moist montane forests. It is threatened by habitat loss. References Ex ...

(''Synallaxis cinerea'') *

Pinto's spinetail Pinto's spinetail (''Synallaxis infuscata'') is a species of bird in the family Furnariidae. It is also known as the plain spinetail, Alagoas spinetail or tatac. It is endemic to north-eastern Brazil. Its natural habitats are subtropical or trop ...

(''Synallaxis infuscata'') * Dusky spinetail (''Synallaxis moesta'') *

McConnell's spinetail McConnell's spinetail (''Synallaxis macconnelli'') is a species of bird in the family Furnariidae. It is found in Brazil, French Guiana, Guyana, Suriname, and Venezuela. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests, su ...

(''Synallaxis macconnelli'') *

Cabanis's spinetail Cabanis's spinetail (''Synallaxis cabanisi'') is a species of bird in the family Furnariidae. The common name and Latin binomial commemorates the German ornithologist Jean Louis Cabanis. Range and habitat It is found in the Andes' eastern slope ...

(''Synallaxis cabanisi'') *

Cinereous-breasted spinetail The cinereous-breasted spinetail (''Synallaxis hypospodia'') is a species of bird in the family Furnariidae. The term ''cinereous'' describes its colouration. It is found in northern Bolivia, Brazil and far southeastern Peru. Its natural h ...

(''Synallaxis hypospodia'') *

Spix's spinetail Spix's spinetail (''Synallaxis spixi''), also known as the Chicli spinetail, is a bird in the ovenbird family. It is found in Brazil, Argentina and Uruguay. The common name commemorates the German naturalist Johann Baptist von Spix (1782-1826). ...

(''Synallaxis spixi'') * Dark-breasted spinetail (''Synallaxis albigularis'') *

Río Orinoco spinetail The Río Orinoco spinetail (''Synallaxis beverlyae'') is a species of bird in the family Furnariidae. It is found from river island scrub in the lower and middle sections of the main channel of the Río Orinoco in Venezuela and adjacent Colombi ...

(''Synallaxis beverlyae'') *

Pale-breasted spinetail The pale-breasted spinetail (''Synallaxis albescens''), is a passerine bird which breeds in the tropical New World from Costa Rica to Uruguay, and in Trinidad. It is a member of the South American bird family Furnariidae, a group in which many ...

(''Synallaxis albescens'') *

Sooty-fronted spinetail The sooty-fronted spinetail (''Synallaxis frontalis'') is a species of bird in the family Furnariidae. It is found in Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Paraguay, and Uruguay. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical dry forest A forest ...

(''Synallaxis frontalis'') * Azara's spinetail (''Synallaxis azarae'') * Apurímac spinetail (''Synallaxis courseni'') * White-whiskered spinetail (''Synallaxis candei'') * Rufous-breasted spinetail (''Synallaxis erythrothorax'') * Hoary-throated spinetail (''Synallaxis kollari'') *

Blackish-headed spinetail The blackish-headed spinetail (''Synallaxis tithys'') is a species of bird in the family Furnariidae. It is found in Ecuador and Peru. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical dry forests, subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests, a ...

(''Synallaxis tithys'') *

Rusty-headed spinetail The rusty-headed spinetail (''Synallaxis fuscorufa'') is a Near Threatened species of bird in the Furnariinae subfamily of the ovenbird family Furnariidae. It is endemic to Colombia. Taxonomy and systematics The rusty-headed spinetail, r ...

(''Synallaxis fuscorufa'') *

Rufous spinetail The rufous spinetail (''Synallaxis unirufa'') is a species of bird in the family Furnariidae. It is found in Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, and Venezuela. Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical moist montane forests. References rufo ...

(''Synallaxis unirufa'') *

Black-throated spinetail The black-throated spinetail (''Synallaxis castanea'') is a species of bird in the Furnariinae subfamily of the ovenbird family Furnariidae. It is endemic to Venezuela. Taxonomy and systematics For a period in the mid twentieth century ...

(''Synallaxis castanea'') * Stripe-breasted spinetail (''Synallaxis cinnamomea'') *

Ruddy spinetail The ruddy spinetail (''Synallaxis rutilans'') is a species of bird in the family Furnariidae. It is found in Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, French Guiana, Guyana, Peru, Suriname, and Venezuela. Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical ...

(''Synallaxis rutilans'') * Chestnut-throated spinetail (''Synallaxis cherriei'') Formerly, some authorities also considered the following species as species within the genus ''Synallaxis'': *

White-browed spinetail The white-browed spinetail (''Hellmayrea gularis'') is a species of bird in the Furnariinae subfamily of the ovenbird family Furnariidae. It is found in Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, and Venezuela. Taxonomy and systematics Several twentieth cen ...

(as ''Synallaxis gularis'') * Chotoy spinetail (as ''Synallaxis phryganophila'') *

White-bellied spinetail The white-bellied spinetail (''Mazaria propinqua'') is a species of bird in the Furnariinae subfamily of the ovenbird family Furnariidae. It is found in Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, French Guiana, and Peru.Remsen, J. V., Jr., J. I. Ar ...

(as ''Synallaxis propinqua'')

References

External links

''Synallaxis''.
Integrated Taxonomic Information System (ITIS).
''Synallaxis'' species.
BirdLife International. Bird genera Taxa named by Louis Jean Pierre Vieillot {{Furnariidae-stub