The Andean tit-spinetail is a species of bird in the Furnariinae subfamily of the ovenbird family Furnariidae. It is found in Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, and Venezuela.
Region
Andes Mountains
Typical Environment
Occurs along the Andes from Venezuela and Colombia through Ecuador and Peru to Bolivia. It favors high-elevation habitats including puna grasslands, rocky slopes, shrubby páramo, and edges of Polylepis and other high Andean woodlands. The species also uses human-altered areas such as stone walls, fields, and villages at high elevations. It is largely sedentary within this montane belt, moving locally with weather and food availability.
Altitude Range
2800–4800 m
Climate Zone
Highland
Ease of Keeping
Beginner friendly: 1/5
A small, energetic furnariid, the Andean tit-spinetail darts through high Andean scrub and Polylepis woodlands, often flicking its long, spiny-tipped tail. It frequently joins mixed-species flocks and forages in pairs or family groups. Its thin, twittering trills carry across windswept puna slopes.
feeding in Colombia
Temperament
social and active
Flight Pattern
short rapid wingbeats with quick, bounding hops between shrubs and rocks
Social Behavior
Usually seen in pairs or small family groups and commonly joins mixed-species foraging flocks in high Andean scrub. Nests are placed in cavities such as rock crevices, walls, or other sheltered spots, built of twigs and plant fibers. Both parents typically participate in nesting duties.
Migratory Pattern
Resident
Song Description
Song is a thin, rapid series of trills and twittering notes delivered in short bursts. Calls include sharp ticks and high, sibilant chips that carry in windy alpine habitats.
Plumage
Overall brown to gray-brown upperparts with a paler, lightly streaked face and underparts; wings show warm rufous tones. Long, narrow, graduated tail with stiff, spiny-tipped feathers. Subtle streaking on the breast and a fine-textured, sleek appearance typical of tit-spinetails.
Diet
Primarily consumes small arthropods, including insects and their larvae gleaned from foliage, stems, rocks, and ground-level vegetation. It probes crevices and pecks at cushion plants and grass tussocks. Occasionally snatches prey in short hover-gleans and may take tiny seeds incidentally.
Preferred Environment
Feeds in shrubby páramo, puna grasslands, and edges of high-elevation woodlands, especially Polylepis stands. Also forages around stone fences, rocky outcrops, and village margins where shrubs and grasses provide cover.
