- Certhiaxis cinnamomea
Certhiaxis cinnamomeus
Identification
13–16 cm
- Chestnut brown upperparts and head
- White underparts
- Pale yellow chin (difficult to see)
The sexes are similar, but there are several subspecies, differing in colour of forecrown, chin, and upperparts.
Distribution
Trinidad and South America from Colombia east to the Guianas, and south to Argentina and Uruguay.
Generally only found east of the Andes.
Taxonomy
Subspecies
Eight subspecies are recognized[1]:
- C. c. fuscifrons:
- Northern Colombia (Río Atrato to Santa Marta region)
- C. c. marabinus:
- North-eastern Colombia and north-western Venezuela
- C. c. valencianus:
- West-central Venezuela
- C. c. orenocensis:
- Eastern Venezuela (lower Orinoco Valley)
- C. c. cinnamomeus:
- C. c. pallidus:
- Extreme south-eastern Colombia and western and central Amazonian Brazil
- C. c. cearensis:
- Eastern Brazil (southern Maranhão, Ceará, Piauí, Pernambuco and northern Bahia)
- C. c. russeolus:
Habitat
Wet savannas, marshes, and the edges of mangrove swamps.
Behaviour
This bird is often quite tolerant of presence of humans. It may be found on fences or branches but also on the ground.
Breeding
The large spherical stick nest is usually but not always placed low; it is constructed around a branch in a tree or scrub including in mangrove, usually near water. The entrance is a tunnel beginning at the bottom of the nest but reaching the top of the nest before the bird actually enters. The clutch consists of 3-4 greenish white eggs.
This spinetail is parasitised by the Striped Cuckoo, which lays 1-2 eggs in the nest.
Diet
The diet includes larvae, ants insects and spiders.
Vocalisation
Song: a churring chu-chuchchchchchchchchchchcu
References
- Clements, J. F., T. S. Schulenberg, M. J. Iliff, S. M. Billerman, T. A. Fredericks, B. L. Sullivan, and C. L. Wood. 2019. The eBird/Clements Checklist of Birds of the World: v2019. Downloaded from http://www.birds.cornell.edu/clementschecklist/download/
- Richard ffrench. 1991. A guide to the Birds of Trinidad and Tobago. Comstock/Cornell Paperbacks. ISBN 0-8014-9792-2
- Restall et al. 2006. Birds of Northern South America. Yale University Press. ISBN 9780300124156
- Handbook of the Birds of the World Alive (retrieved May 2015)
Recommended Citation
- BirdForum Opus contributors. (2025) Yellow-chinned Spinetail. In: BirdForum, the forum for wild birds and birding. Retrieved 3 May 2025 from https://www.birdforum.net/opus/Yellow-chinned_Spinetail
External Links
GSearch checked for 2020 platform.1
