Tepui Spinetail Cranioleuca demissa Scientific name definitions

Aptly named, the Tepui Spinetail is a common resident of the tepuis of southern Venezuela and adjacent areas in Guyana and Brazil. The species is olive brown above with a contrasting rufous forehead, shoulders, wings and tail. Although similar in appearance to the Ash-browed Spinetail (Cranioleuca curtata), the Tepui Spinetail is unique in that it is the only member of its genus found in its range. It is most often encountered foraging from the mid level to the canopy in montane forest and woodland, where they can be seen hopping through vines and foliage and occasionally hitching creeper-like up the trunks of trees. Tepui Spinetail regularly join mixed-species flocks with the likes of Tepui Redstart (Myioborus castaneocapilla), Roraiman Antwren (Herpsilochmus roraimae), and other furnariids.

Editor's Note: This article requires further editing work to merge existing content into the appropriate Subspecies sections. Please bear with us while this update takes place.