Azara's spinetail (Synallaxis azarae) is a species of bird in the Furnariinae subfamily of the ovenbird family Furnariidae. It is found in Argentina, Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, and Venezuela.

Taxonomy and systematics

Azara's spinetail has these nine subspecies: Subspecies S. a. samaipatae and S. a. superciliosa were together once treated as a separate species, the "buff-browed spinetail". Similarly, S. a. elegantior, S. a. media, S. a. ochracea, and S. a. fruticicola were treated as one species. Azara's spinetail is named after Spanish naturalist Félix de Azara.

Description

Azara's spinetail is 15 to 18 cm long and weighs 12 to 18 g. The sexes have the same plumage. Adults of the nominate subspecies S. a. azarae have a brownish gray face with a slightly paler supercilium. Their forehead and forecrown are dark grayish brown, their hindcrown and nape dark rufous, and their back, rump and uppertail coverts rich olive-brown. Their wings are mostly rufous-chestnut with dark brownish tips on their flight feathers. Their tail is dull chestnut-brown; the tail is graduated and the feathers have somewhat pointed tips. Their chin and edges of their throat are pale grayish with darker tips on the feathers; the center of their throat is sooty black with pale edges on the feathers. Their breast is dark brownish gray, their belly paler and grayer with faint mottling, and their flanks and undertail coverts browner than the breast and belly. Their iris is reddish brown to chestnut, their maxilla black to dark gray, their mandible gray or blue-gray (sometimes with a blackish base or tip), and their legs and feet olive-gray to grayish green. Juveniles have a brown crown and back, an indistinct throat patch, and a pale brown to ochraeceous wash on their underparts. The other subspecies of Azara's spinetail differ from the nominate and each other thus:

Distribution and habitat

The subspecies of Azara's spinetail are found thus: Azara's spinetail inhabits a variety of semi-open landscapes both humid and drier, including the edges of montane evergreen forest, secondary forest, the edges of cloudforest and elfin forest, bushy pastures and roadsides, riparian thickets, and in Argentina semi-deciduous and deciduous woodlands. It tends to remain in dense vegetation near the ground. In most of its range it occurs between elevations of 1500 and 3500 m. In Bolivia and Argentina it occurs lower, mostly between 600 and 1600 m. In Ecuador it occurs locally down to 900 m or lower and in Colombia down to 1200 m.

Behavior

Movement

Azara's spinetail is a year-round resident throughout its range.

Feeding

Azara's spinetail feeds on arthropods; its diet also includes small seeds. It usually forages in pairs and sometimes joins mixed-species feeding flocks. It gleans prey from foliage, small branches, and occasionally dead leaves. It usually stays below about 2 m of the ground but has been recorded feeding as high as 6 m.

Breeding

Azara's spinetail has a wide breeding season including both wet and dry months; in some areas it may breed year round. Eggs have been noted between February and April in Colombia and Ecuador, and fledglings between May and September from Colombia to Peru. The species is monogamous. Its nest is a longish mass of sticks with a horizontal or upward entrance tube; the inner chamber is lined with soft plant material and sometimes includes shed snake skin. It is placed low to the ground in dense vegetation. The clutch size is two to four eggs. The incubation period, time to fledging, and details of parental care are not known.

Vocalization

Azara's spinetail is quite vocal, repeating for minutes at a time a sharp "ket-kwééék", "pip-squeak", or "ka-kweeék". It also makes "scratchy, nasal 'prrt' notes", " 'kweek-kweek' notes", and a "low short 'chur' or 'trrt' ".

Status

The IUCN has assessed Azara's spinetail as being of Least Concern. It has a very large range, and though its population size is not known it is believed to be stable. No immediate threats have been identified. It is considered fairly common to common in most of its range and occurs in many protected areas. It "[t]olerates moderate anthropogenic disturbance [and] presumably benefits from forest fragmentation".