Azara's Spinetail - BirdForum Opus

Photo © by Gerald Friesen
East Andes slope, San Isidro road, Ecuador, April 2018

Synallaxis azarae

Identification

Immature
Photo © by Robert_Scanlon
Nr Cali, Colombia, March 2006

15–17 cm (6-6¾ in)

• Rufous cap and wings
• Grey forehead and throat
• Pale supercilium
• Brownish-grey face
• Buffy underparts
• Small dark scaly patch on throat.
  

This is the most numerous and common Spinetail in its range.

Distribution

South America: found in Colombia, Venezuela, Ecuador, Peru, Bolivia, Argentina

Taxonomy

Subspecies

Nine subspecies are recognized^[1]:

• S. a. elegantior:

• Eastern Andes of Colombia and western Venezuela

• S. a. media:

• Western and Central Andes of Colombia and northern Ecuador

• S. a. ochracea:

• Subtropical south-western Ecuador and north-western Peru

• S. a. fruticicola:

• Northern Peru (La Libertad, Cajamarca, San Martín and Amazonas)

• S. a. infumata:

• Northerln-central Peru (San Martín, Huánuco and Junín)

• S. a. urubambae:

• South-eastern Peru (Cuzco)

• S. a. azarae:

• Andes from southern Peru (Puno) to central Bolivia (south to northwestern Santa Cruz)

• S. a. samaipatae:

• Andes of southern Bolivia (Santa Cruz, Chuquisaca and Tarija)

• S. a. superciliosa:

• Andes of north-western Argentina (Jujuy and Tucumán)

Habitat

Montane evergreen forest edges, secondary forests and dense undergrowth, mostly from 1500m to 3000m.

Behaviour

Furtive and difficult to locate visually in the dense shrub it prefers, although its voice is often heard. Travels alone or in pairs, staying close to ground.

Diet

Their diet consists mostly of arthropods, with the addition of moth larvae and small seeds. They are usually seen in pairs, though sometimes they feed in mixed species flocks.

References

1. Clements, J. F., T. S. Schulenberg, M. J. Iliff, D. Roberson, T. A. Fredericks, B. L. Sullivan, and C. L. Wood. 2017. The eBird/Clements checklist of birds of the world: v2017, with updates to August 2017. Downloaded from http://www.birds.cornell.edu/clementschecklist/download/
2. Avibase
3. Handbook of the Birds of the World Alive (retrieved May 2018)

• List of references

Recommended Citation

• BirdForum Opus contributors. (2025) Azara's Spinetail. In: BirdForum, the forum for wild birds and birding. Retrieved 3 May 2025 from https://www.birdforum.net/opus/Azara%27s_Spinetail

External Links

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