The Ayacucho thistletail is a species of bird in the Furnariinae subfamily of the ovenbird family Furnariidae. It is endemic to the Department of Ayacucho, Peru.
Region
Peruvian Andes
Typical Environment
The Ayacucho thistletail is confined to humid montane scrub, bunchgrass puna, and edges of Polylepis–Gynoxys woodlands within the Andean slopes of Ayacucho. It favors steep ravines, shrub-choked slopes, and ridge crests where dense cover provides foraging substrates. The species often keeps to mid- to low-shrub levels, moving methodically through tangles and grass tussocks. It can also occur along ecotones between natural scrub and lightly grazed puna. Occurrence is patchy, tracking blocks of intact shrubland and woodland edge.
Altitude Range
3000–4200 m
Climate Zone
Highland
Ease of Keeping
Beginner friendly: 1/5
This small furnariid is restricted to the high Andes of the Ayacucho Department in Peru, where it creeps through dense shrubs and bunchgrasses with its characteristically long, spiny-tipped tail. It is a skulking insect-hunter and is often detected first by its sharp, trilled song. Vocal and subtle plumage differences separate it from nearby thistletail relatives. Like many high-Andean specialists, it is sensitive to habitat alteration of montane scrub and Polylepis edges.
Temperament
skulking but active
Flight Pattern
short rapid wingbeats with low, bouncing dashes between shrubs
Social Behavior
Usually encountered singly or in pairs that maintain year-round territories. Nests are typically ball- or cup-shaped structures of grasses and fibers placed low in dense shrubs or tussocks, with a side entrance. Breeding pairs communicate with sharp calls and duets, especially at territory boundaries.
Migratory Pattern
Resident
Song Description
Song is a quick, high-pitched series of trills and accelerating chatters that carry across shrubland. Calls include thin tseep notes and rapid rattles given during agitation or pair contact.
