Andean Tit-Spinetail Leptasthenura andicola Scientific name definitions

Andean Tit-Spinetail is a small furnariid of montane northwestern South America. Found in the Andes from western Venezuela south to western Bolivia, it inhabits scrub vegetation and low woodlands from 3000 to 4500 meters in elevation. The species is dark gray brown above and pale brown below, with white streaks on the back, neck, face, and underparts, a white supercilium, and a black-streaked, rufous crown. Tit-like, the species moves around constantly, hanging from low vegetation and makes short, high-pitched contact calls. Andean Tit-Spinetail has a complicated ecological relationship with its congeners in Peru and Bolivia that isn’t fully resolved yet. Five subspecies currently are recognized, varying slightly in plumage coloration.

Andean Tit-Spinetail is the only species of Leptasthenura in the northern Andes (Venezuela, Colombia, and Ecuador), and is unlikely to be confused with any other species on this region. Superficially similar species have different habits, and easily are differentiaed from the tit-spinetail: Many-striped Canastero (Asthenes flammulata) has a much shorter tail, rufous in the wing, a longer bill, and generally has chunkier, more sparrow-like overall body proportions overall (Hilty and Brown 1986); Streak-backed Canastero (Asthenes wyatti) lacks streaking on the breast, has a brown crown, and has a shorter, rounded tail and a longer bill (Hilty and Brown 1986); and White-chinned Thistletail (Asthenes fuliginosa), while more similar in size and body shape, is rufous overall, and completely lacks streaking (Hilty and Brown 1986).

Farther south, in Peru, Andean Tit-Spinetail overlaps geographically with both Rusty-crowned (Leptasthenura pileata) and Streaked (Leptasthenura striata) tit-spinetails. Andean typically occurs at higher elevations than both of these species, however. Rusty-crowned has less streaking overall, its rufous crown is more conspicuous, and it lacks a prominent white supercilium. Streaked is smaller and is much paler in color, is much less streaked (especially on the underparts), has a narrower, less prominent pale supercilium, and has rufous margins to the outer primaries, forming a panel on the closed wing. Very locally, in south central Peru, Andean also may overlap with White-browed Tit-Spinetail (Leptasthenura xenothorax), which has an unstreaked rufous crown, and black and white streaking on the throat but unstreaked lower underparts. Also, very locally in northwestern Bolivia, the distributions of Andean and Plain-mantled Tit-Spinetail (Leptasthenura aegithaloides) closely approach one another, or perhaps narrowly overlap. As the English name suggests, Plain-mantled Tit-Spinetail has an unstreaked center to the back, and its underparts also lack streaks.

The following description is based on Fjeldså and Krabbe (1990) and Remsen (2003), and refers to nominate andicola; see also Geographic Variation.

Adult: Sexes similar. Crown rich rufous chestnut, shot through with black streaks. The crown is bordered below by a broad white supercilium, extends forward to the base of the bill. Auriculars dark gray brown, narrowly streaked. Upperparts otherwise are dark gray brown, prominently streaked with white or whitish. The wings are dark brownish, the wing coverts and remiges with only narrow, inconspicuous rufescent margins. Tail long and graduated; the rectrices are pointed, with the two central rectrices even longer and sharply pointed, giving a forked look. Rectrices dusky brown to blackish; outer webs buffy (except for the central pair, which are entirely dark). Throat white or white. Breast and belly gray brown, heavily streaked with white or whitis; streaking more diffuse on the flanks and lower belly.

Juvenile: Similar to adult, but black crown streaks are a less contrasting dark olive brown or absent entirely, and the belly is mottled or scaled instead of streaked (Fjeldså and Krabbe 1990).

Molts are undescribed in Andean Tit-Spinetail; presumably follows either a Complex Basic or Complex Alternate strategy (Ryder and Wolfe 2009). Fjeldså and Krabbe (1990) reported molt ("probably post-breeding") on an individual from Peru in August.

Iris: dark brown to reddish brown

Bill: black, base of mandible slightly paler

Tarsi and toes: dark gray to black

Bare parts color data from Remsen (2003).

Total length: 15 cm (Fjeldså and Krabbe 1990), 15-16 cm (Herzog et al. 2016), 16 cm (Schulenberg et al. 2010), 16.5 cm (Hilty and Brown 1986, Hilty 2003), 16-17 cm (Remsen 2003)

Linear measurements (from Vaurie 1980):

male (subspecies combined)

wing length: mean 71.42 mm (range 62-77 mm, n = 38)

tail length: mean 92.09 mm (range 84-102 mm, n = 21)

bill length: mean 12.34 mm (range 11-13 mm, n = 24)

female (subspecies combined)

wing length: mean 70.37 mm (range 63-77 mm, n = 32)

tail length: mean 91.15 mm (range 85-100 mm, n = 20)

bill length: mean 12.25 mm (range 11-13 mm, n = 28)

Mass: range 15-16 g (Remsen 2003)

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.

Five subspecies usually recognized, but exhibit only slight differentiation, primarily in the amount of rufous in the wings and in smaller details in the breast and head.

certhia, described as Siptornis certhia Madarász 1903; type locality San Antonio and Páramo de Santo Domingo [Mérida], Venezuela

Occurs in the Andes of Venezuela (Mérida and Trujillo; perhaps also Táchira, but to date no records from there) (Hilty 2003).

Similar to extima, but crown streaks paler ("cinnamomeous" rather than rufous); rufous margins to wing coverts and outer primaries reduced; belly grayer (less buffy); and dorsal streaks, supercilium, throat, and breast whiter (Hellmayr 1925, Remsen 2003).

extima, described as Leptasthenura andicola extima Todd 1919; type locality Páramo de Macotama, Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta, Colombia

Occurs in the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta, northern Colombia.

Similar to nominate, but smaller; wing coverts and tertials conspicuously edged with bright cinnamon brown; basal portion of outer web of outer primaries (primaries 2-7) extensively cinnamon rufous; crown streaks paler; supercilium narrower and buffier; and belly more buffy brown (Todd 1916, Hellmayr 1925, Remsen 2003).

andicola, described as Leptasthenura andicola Sclater 1870; type locality Panza, southern slope of Chimborazo, Ecuador

Occurs in the Central Andes of Colombia and the Andes of Ecuador.

See Detailed Description.

exterior, described as Leptasthenura andicola exterior Todd 1919; type locality Lagunillas, Boyacá, Colombia

Occurs in the Eastern Andes of Colombia in Boyacá and Cundinamarca.

Similar to extima (has bright cinnamon brown margins to the wing coverts, tertials, and the outer primaries), but has a brighter rufous crown with narrower black streaks; white streaks on the back somewhat broader; throat whiter; and belly less brownish (Hellmayr 1925, Remsen 2003).

peruviana, described as Leptasthenura andicola peruviana Chapman 1919; type locality La Raya, 14,000 feet [= 4267 m] [Puno], Peru

Occurs in the Andes of Peru and northern Bolivia.

Similar to nominate andicola, but crown paler (pale cinnamon rufous), with narrower black streaks; auriculars paler and less streaked; upper wing coverts with pale cinnamon edges; tertials more broadly edged with buff; and breast and belly darker (Hellmayr 1925, Remsen 2003). Subspecies boliviana Carriker 1935 (type locality Kilometer 34, 14,000 feet [= 4267 m], Yungas Railway, La Paz, Bolivia) is considered to be a junior synomym of peruviana (Peters 1951, Remsen 2003).

Derryberry et al. (2011) investigated the relationships within Furnariidae, based on phylogenetic analysis of DNA sequence data, from both mitochondrial and nuclear genes. Tit-spinetails formed a monophyletic clade, except that Tawny Tit-Spinetail Leptasthenura yanacensis was recovered as sister to Des Murs's Wiretail (Sylviorthorhynchus desmursii). As Sylviorthorhynchus Des Murs 1847 is an older name than Leptasthenura Reichenbach 1853, either all Leptasthenura thus should be merged into Sylviorthorhynchus; or yanacensis should be transferred to Sylviorthorhynchus, retaining a separate, monophyletic Leptasthenura; the latter approach has been adopted, and now Tawny Tit-Spinetail is known as Sylviorthorhynchus yanacensis.

Within Leptasthenura, andicola is sister to Leptasthenura aegithaloides (Plain-mantled Tit-Spinetail) (Derryberry et al. 2011).

The Leptasthenura + Sylviorthorhynchus clade is near the base of a large radiation of spinetails and related furnariids (genera Phacellodomus, Hellmayrea, Coryphistera, Anumbius, Asthenes, Acrobatornis, Metopothrix, Xenerpestes, Siptornis, Roraimia, Limnoctites, Thripophaga, Cranioleuca, Pseudasthenes, Spartonoica, Pseudoseisura, Mazaria, Schoeniophylax, Certhiaxis, and Synallaxis) (Derryberry et al. 2011).

None reported.

Andean Tit-Spinetail is resident in the high Andes of Venezuela, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, and northern Bolivia. Its distribution is not continuous, but instead is curiously fragmented. In Venezuela it is known only from the Andes of central Mérida and southern Trujillo; although suspected to occur as well in Táchira, its presence there has not yet been documented (Phelps and Phelps 1950, Hilty 2003). It occurs in the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta in northern Colombia; in the Eastern Andes of Colombia from Boyacá south at least to Cundinamarca (Meyer de Schauensee 1950, Hilty and Brown 1986); and in the Central Andes of Colombia (north to northern Tolima) south into Ecuador (Meyer de Schauensee 1950, Hilty and Brown 1986). It occurs south through the Andes of Ecuador to northern Azuay, with and isolated population in southern Zamora-Chinchipe (Krabbe et al. 1997, Ridgely and Greenfield 2001a, b). Andean Tit-Spinetail is absent from northernmost Peru, but occurs from Ancash south to Ayacucho, and again in southeastern Peru in Cuzco and Puno (Schulenberg et al. 2010) and in adjacent Bolivia on La Paz (Herzog et al. 2016).

The elevational range of the Andean Tit-Spinetail spans 3000-4500 m (Fjeldså and Krabbe 1990). It is reported from 3400-4400 m in Venezuela (Hilty 2003); 3000-4500 m in Colombia (Hilty and Brown 1986); 3200-4000 m in Ecuador (Ridgely and Greenfield 2001a); 3500–4200 m in Peru (Schulenberg et al. 2010); and 3500-4450 m in Bolivia (Herzog et al. 2016).&

Endemic to the Americas.

None reported.

Broadly speaking, Andean Tit-Spinetail occupies arid or semihumid montane scrub (Parker et al. 1995). In the northern portion of its range (Venezuela, Colombia, and Ecuador), its habitat is described as "humid grasslands and Espeletia páramos, Lupinus meadows, copses of Stevia lucida (Asteraceae), and Polylepis sericea woodland and shrub‘’ (Fjeldså and Krabbe 1990). Farther south, in Peru and Bolivia, it occupies Polylepis woods, Puya raimondii, and arid montane scrub (Fjeldså and Krabbe 1990).

Andean Tit-Spinetail typically occurs at higher elevations than sympatric congeners Rusty-crowned Tit-Spinetail (Leptasthenura pileata) and Streaked Tit-Spinetail (Leptasthenura striata). Where Andean and Rusty-crowned tit-spinetails are syntopic, Andean is the dominant species in Polylepis; in southwestern Peru, however, Streaked is prevalent in Polylepis-scrub, and Andean is restricted to low scrub at higher elevations (Fjeldså and Krabbe 1990). In southeastern Peru, Andean Tit-Spinetail occupies Polylepis, but is excluded from Polylepis where White-browed Tit-Spinetail (Leptasthenura xenothorax) is present; at these sites, Andean occupies low brush and scrub (Fjeldså and Krabbe 1990).

Andean Tit-Spinetail is active forager, "hopping along branches, hanging upside down, and reaching out to examine” substrates such as foliage, twigs, and flowers for arthropods (Hilty 2003). It also searches the bases of bromeliads, and is especially partial to investigating Senecio flowers (Fjeldså and Krabbe 1990).

Andean Tit-Spinetail is insectivorous, but its diet is not described in any detail.

A frequent call of Andean Tit-Spinetail is described as a weak, tinkling téz-dit or téz-dit-dit (Hilty and Brown 1986, Fjeldså and Krabbe 1990). Other vocalizations include "a high, mammallike squeal” (Hilty and Brown 1986); fine zik, ti, or tic notes (Fjeldså and Krabbe 1990, Hilty 2003); an alarm call, tik-tik-trr-tik-trr-tik (Fjeldså and Krabbe 1990); and a monotonous trill, ca two seconds long (Fjeldså and Krabbe 1990).

What may be a song is “a descending series of notes starting and ending with a trill” (Fjeldså and Krabbe 1990) or a "tinkling trill that descends a little" (Hilty 2003).

Additional audio recordings of Andean Tit-Spinetail vocalizations can be heard at Macaulay Library and at xeno-canto.

None reported.

Andean Tit-Spinetail is not necessarily a shy bird, but often stays hidden in low, scrubby bushes within 3 m of the ground (Hilty 2003). It is a very energetic, active little bird, moving restlessly along branches and often hanging upside down. It tends to fly low and fast from bush to bush, occasionally stopping to perch on stone walls (Fjeldså and Krabbe 1990). Can be difficult to flush at sites with only very low vegetation (Fjeldså and Krabbe 1990).

There are no data on territorial defense, maintenance, or fidelity, or for territory or home range size, for Andean Tit-Spinetail.

Little information. Andean Tit-Spinetail presumably is at least socially monogamous; two adults were observed both building a nest and provisioning the nestlings (Greeney et al. 2010).

Andean Tit-Spinetail usually is encountered in pairs or small groups (Fjeldså and Krabbe 1990). Sometimes associates with mixed species flocks; flock associates include White-throated Tyrannulet (Mecocerculus leucophrys) and various species of thistletails, sierra-finches, and seedeaters (Hilty and Brown 1986, Hilty 2003).

No reports of predation on Andean Tit-Spinetail?

The nest is a ball of grass and moss, and lined with mammal fur, Puya seed down, and feathers (Hilty and Brown 1986, Hilty 2003, Greeney et al. 2010); the ball shape of the nest sometimes is complete, with the top open (Greeney et al. 2010). The nest ball is ca 7.5 cm tall, with a cup ca 4.5 cm wide and 3 cm deep (Greeney et al. 2010). Both adults contribute to nest construction (Greeney et al. 2010). The nest is placed in cavities formed by overhanging vegetation, on the ground, or under eaves, or sometimes placed at the end of an earthern tunnel (presumably excavated by some other species) (Hilty and Brown 1986, Greeney et al. 2010).

Clutch size is usually is two; the eggs are white and unmarked, and measure ca 20.1 by 15.4 mm (Hilty and Brown 1986, Hilty 2003, Greeney et al. 2010). Eggs are laid between 48 and 72 hours apart, and are incubated for at least 16 days (Greeney et al. 2010). At several of the nests, both eggs hatched on the same day, but more nests need to be carefully monitored to confirm (Greeney et al. 2010).

Both adults provision the nestlings (Greeney et al. 2010).

Most information on the nesting biology of Andean Tit-Spinetail is based on the observations of Greeney et al. (2011) in Ecuador. Breeding in Ecuador is reported from August (nests under construction) to December (nestlings). A nest also is reported from Venezuela in July (Hilty 2003), with fledglings observed in November and May (Fjeldså and Krabbe 1990), and from Colombia in September (Hilty and Brown 1986). A nestling is reported from Peru in April (Fjeldså and Krabbe 1990).

The population size for Andean Tit-Spinetail has not been quantified (BirdLife International 2016). There currently is no information available on demographic factors such as age at first breeding, life span, survivorship, parasitism, or population regulation for Andean Tit-Spinetail.

Andean Tit-Spinetail is classified by the IUCN Red List as a species that is of Least Concern (BirdLife International 2016). The species has a very large range, and although the population has not been quantified, it has been described as "fairly common" (Parker et al. 1996, BirdLife International 2016). There has been no evidence of any declines or substantial threats, so the population is suspected to be stable (BirdLife International 2016).

Andean Tit-Spinetail probably is little affected by human activity, other than the local effects of habitat loss.

Andean Tit-Spinetail is widespread and is fairly common, but nonethesless is rather poorly known; more research should be conducted in all areas of its natural history, with diet and courtship/mating system perhaps the most important topics for investigation.