The brown-capped tit-spinetail is a species of bird in the Furnariinae subfamily of the ovenbird family Furnariidae. It is found in Argentina and Bolivia.
Region
Central Andes
Typical Environment
Occurs in the Andes of southern Bolivia and northwestern Argentina, favoring arid to semi-arid montane scrub and brushy slopes. It uses edges of montane woodland, including Polylepis and alder patches, as well as rocky ravines with scattered shrubs and cacti. The species often occupies ecotones and second-growth where shrubs are dense. It is typically absent from closed-canopy forest and very open grassland. Can be locally common where suitable shrub cover persists.
Altitude Range
1500–3500 m
Climate Zone
Highland
Ease of Keeping
Beginner friendly: 1/5
This small furnariid is an energetic foliage-gleaner, often seen cocking and fanning its spiny-tipped tail as it forages. It readily joins mixed-species flocks in Andean scrub and woodland edges. The species tolerates a degree of habitat disturbance and is frequently encountered in shrublands and semi-open slopes.
Temperament
active and inquisitive
Flight Pattern
short rapid wingbeats
Social Behavior
Usually found singly, in pairs, or family parties, and frequently joins mixed-species flocks moving through shrub layers. Pairs maintain small territories during the breeding season. Both sexes participate in nesting duties and remain in contact with soft calls while foraging.
Migratory Pattern
Resident
Song Description
Song is a quick, thin series of high-pitched notes and brief trills, delivered from a shrub or during short sallies. Calls are sharp, dry chips and thin tsit notes used to keep contact in dense cover.
Plumage
Compact tit-like furnariid with a warm brown cap, pale buffy supercilium, and grayish face. Upperparts are brown to gray-brown with subtle rufous tones in the wings and a long, graduated, spiny-tipped tail. Underparts are pale buff to grayish with light streaking across the breast and throat. The tail is often held cocked and appears stiff and spiky.
Diet
Feeds primarily on small arthropods, including beetles, caterpillars, spiders, and other insects gleaned from leaves and twigs. It probes bark crevices and searches among stems and leaf clusters. Occasionally makes short sallies to snatch prey flushed from vegetation.
Preferred Environment
Forages in dense shrubs, thorny thickets, and along woodland edges, often on steep, rocky slopes. It works methodically through mid to low vegetation layers and sometimes along stone walls or cacti where insects concentrate.
