Necklaced Spinetail Synallaxis stictothorax Scientific name definitions

The Necklaced Spinetail is a small furnariid with a restricted range along the Pacific coast of northwestern South America. Distributed in western Ecuador and northwestern Peru, it lives in dry scrub and open woodland below 200 meters in elevation. It is olive on the crown and back with a short, straight bill, white forehead, white superciliary and black postocular, white throat with brownish streaking across the upper breast, cinnamon rump and lower flanks, and long brown tail with rufous outer tail feathers. Necklaced Spinetail is usually found in pairs, and can be detected by its song, a stuttering series of notes that slows down through the sequence.

11–13 cm; 10–14 g. Very small, highly distinctive Synallaxis. Nominate race has conspicuous white supercilium , blackish face vaguely streaked whitish; forecrown streaked black and white, rest of crown dull grayish brown, back slightly browner, blending to rufescent-brown rump; uppertail coverts bright rufous; wing coverts and secondaries rufous, whitish bend of wing, dusky primaries; tail moderately graduated, ten rectrices, blunt-tipped, bright rufous, central pair dark brownish; throat white, breast buffy white with conspicuous fine black streaks, belly whitish, flanks and undertail-coverts tawny. Sexes similar. Juvenile undescribed.

Iris

brown to reddish brown or brownish red

Bill

black, sometimes much of mandible gray

Tarsi and Toes

blue-gray to dark gray

In past, sometimes placed in a monospecific genus Chinchipe, but more recently found to be sister to S. zimmeri (which see). Hitherto considered conspecific with S. chinchipensis (1 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. Cornell Laboratory of Ornithology, Ithaca, New York, USA. Close ) and with an unnamed Synallaxis from coastal southern Peru (see Geographic Variation).

The unnamed species, which is reportedly threatened by habitat loss and therefore urgently in need of description, differs from the present species and from S. chinchipensis in its almost pure white underparts and clear white lores and supercilum, strong dark patches at tail end, and voice. The song consists of a long rattling series of 50 or more notes with no long pauses or long emphasized notes (2 Boesman, P. (2016). Notes on the vocalizations of Necklaced Spinetail (Synallaxis stictothorax). HBW Alive Ornithological Note 104. In: Handbook of the Birds of the World Alive. Lynx Edicions, Barcelona. Close ). Two subspecies recognized.

Synallaxis stictothorax stictothorax

Distribution

The nominate race is endemic to southwestern Ecuador, from central Manabí southwards to western Guayas, as well as Puna Island.

Synallaxis stictothorax maculata

Distribution

Subspecies maculata ranges from extreme southwestern Ecuador (southern Loja) to northwestern Peru, in the departments of Tumbes, Piura, Lambayeque, and La Libertad.

Identification

Subspecies maculata " data-type="imglink">medialinkhas a slightly more rufescent back, more extensive rufous in the wing (contrast between dark brownish primary-coverts and tawny margins of outer primaries) and more extensive rufous in tail, only central pair of rectrices with any dusky (on distal portion of inner web).

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SUBSPECIES

Synallaxis stictothorax stictothorax Scientific name definitions

Distribution

SW Ecuador (C Manabí S to W Guayas and Puna I).

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SUBSPECIES

Synallaxis stictothorax maculata Scientific name definitions

Distribution

(3 Dickinson, E. C., L. K. Overstreet, R. J. Dowsett, and M. D. Bruce (2011). Priority! The Dating of Scientific Names in Ornithology: A Directory to the Literature and its Reviewers. Aves Press, Northampton, UK. Close )extreme SW Ecuador (S Loja) and NW Peru (Tumbes, Piura, Lambayeque, La Libertad).

Necklaced Spinetail is found in western Ecuador, southward from Manabí, to northwestern Peru, as far south as La Libertad (4 Ridgely, R. S., and P. J. Greenfield (2001). The Birds of Ecuador. Volumes 1–2. Comstock Publishing Associates, Ithaca, New York, USA. Close , 5 Schulenberg, T. S., D. F. Stotz, D. F. Lane, J. P. O'Neill, and T. A. Parker (2007). Birds of Peru. Princeton University Press, Princeton, NJ, USA. Close , 6 Freile, J., and R. Restall (2018). Birds of Ecuador. Bloomsbury, London, UK. Close ).

Arid lowland scrub, also deciduous woodland edge; below 400 m.

Resident.

Arthropods  . Usually forages in pairs , and often with mixed-species flocks. Gleans items from moss, dead leaves and small branches, usually within 1–2 m of ground; unlike most of its congeners, adopts acrobatic feeding postures.

Vocal development

No information.

Vocal Array

Song. Song phrase is a short stuttering chatter ending with several squeaky emphasized notes, with a duration of about 1 second. Stuttered series initiates with short notes which gradually get longer, culminating into 2-5 disyllabic notes with a characteristic note shape trrr-tr-tr-kweet...kweet. Song phrase is typically repeated several times with intervals of a few seconds.

Duet. Song phrase is very often combined with a short rattle of the partner, as a duet. Rattle of some 10 notes typically coincides with the second part of the Song phrase and slightly beyond, and often goes up and down in pitch.

Rattle. A long rattled series of notes, variable in duration and number of notes, which may go up and down in pace and pitch. Typically uttered by excited birds, either singly or by both members of a pair.

Weet. A nasal upslurred weet or slightly disyllabic (as in song) kweet. Typically uttered in a long series at a steady pace of ⁓1‒2 notes/s.

Other. A squeaky di'vot has also been described (5 Schulenberg, T. S., D. F. Stotz, D. F. Lane, J. P. O'Neill, and T. A. Parker (2007). Birds of Peru. Princeton University Press, Princeton, NJ, USA. Close ). Rattle may also be preceded by short single notes, sounding like a dry tik.

Geographic variation

Previously was treated as conspecific with Chinchipe Spinetail S. chinchipensis, the latter - besides genetic and morphological differences - having a very different Song (2,1). Within the range of Necklaced Spinetail, Song of northern stictothorax may have on average less notes than southern maculata, but structure and shape identical. A disjunct coastal population south of Trujillo (Peru) is likely a different lineage, with also a distinct voice (5 Schulenberg, T. S., D. F. Stotz, D. F. Lane, J. P. O'Neill, and T. A. Parker (2007). Birds of Peru. Princeton University Press, Princeton, NJ, USA. Close ): Song phrase apparently consists of 1‒2 longer notes folowed by a short descending dry rattle. Also utters a long rattling series of varrying pace and pitch typically introduced by a few longer strident tseet notes. Such tseet notes are also given in long series at steady pace, and are presumably homologous to the Weet call, but shorter and higher-pitched .

Phenology

Little information. Sound recordings of Song have been made in most months of the year.

Daily Pattern of Vocalizing

Mainly vocal in early morning and again in late afternoon, but can be heard during the day as well.

Places of Vocalizing

Typically vocalizes from within dense dry scrub, hopping from branch to branch, and halting for a second or so to utter a Song phrase or Rattle. Pairs move typically close together, and when duetting are only about 0.5m apart. Occasionally sings form the top of a scrub or another open perch.

Sex Differences

Unknown. Both sexes utter Rattles, but it is not known for certain if both birds also utter Song. Countersinging can be heard occasionally, but this may be of two different territorial pairs rather than from two members of a pair.

Social Content and Presumed Functions of Vocalizations

Little information. Birds respond readily to playback of Song, indicating its territorial function. Duets presumably strengthen pair bonds.

None described.

Nest a retort, rambling stick structure (24–55 cm in diameter by 15–40 cm tall) with side entrance, similar to that of some Phacellodomus thornbirds. In SW Ecuador, where many nests found in Feb–Mar (similar season in NW Peru), most were in spiny trees (e.g. Jacquinia pubescens and Prosopis juliflora) or cactus, at 2–12 m above the ground (7 Marchant, S. (1960). The breeding of some S.W. Ecuadorian birds. Ibis 102:349–382, 584–599. Close ); inside chamber of nest (55–75 mm wide) is lined with feathers and the soft seed down of Ipomea carnea and Eriotheca ruizii; clutch 3–4; eggs pure white or with a few brown spots, c. 16.5–17.4 mm × 13.5–14.2 mm, white with a few brown spots; incubation period, c. 25 days; nestling period, 16–22 days (8 Knowlton, J. l. (2010). Breeding records from the Tumbesian region of Ecuador. Ornitología Neotropical 21(1):109–129. Close ). No further information.

Not globally threatened (Least Concern). Restricted-range species: present in Tumbesian Region EBA (9 Stattersfield, A. J., M. J. Crosby, A. J. Long, and D. C. Wege (1998). Endemic Bird Areas of the World: Priorities for Biodiversity Conservation. BirdLife Conservation Series 7. BirdLife International, Cambridge, UK. Close ). Fairly common within rather small range, estimated at 113,000 km². Occurs in Machalilla National Park, in Ecuador, and El Angolo Hunting Reserve, Cerros de Amotape National Park and Tumbes National Reserve, in Peru. Tolerates moderate habitat degradation.