The Delta Amacuro softtail is a Vulnerable species of bird in the Furnariinae subfamily of the ovenbird family Furnariidae. It is endemic to the southern Orinoco Delta in northeastern Venezuela.
Region
Orinoco Delta, northeastern Venezuela
Typical Environment
The species inhabits dense river-edge vegetation, flooded forests, and palm-dominated swamps (morichales) within the southern Orinoco Delta. It frequents vine tangles, understory thickets, and the lower to mid levels of forest near slow-moving channels. Mangrove edges and swamp forest margins are also used where cover is continuous. It typically remains within a small home range where suitable flooded habitat persists.
Altitude Range
Sea level to 50 m
Climate Zone
Tropical
Ease of Keeping
Beginner friendly: 1/5
This softtail is confined to the southern Orinoco Delta in Venezuela, where it favors dense, seasonally flooded thickets. It forages methodically through vine tangles and palm fronds, often staying low and out of sight. The species is threatened by habitat alteration from drainage, development, and extraction activities in the delta. Its common name references Delta Amacuro State, highlighting its very restricted range.
Temperament
skulking and secretive
Flight Pattern
short rapid wingbeats through dense cover
Social Behavior
Usually found singly or in pairs, sometimes with dependent young, and occasionally joins mixed-species understory flocks. Pairs maintain small territories in suitable flooded thickets. The nest is likely a bulky structure placed in dense vegetation or palm fronds, with both adults participating in care.
Migratory Pattern
Resident
Song Description
Song is a soft, slightly rasping series of notes that accelerates and tapers off. Calls include thin chips and dry trills used to keep contact in dense cover.
Plumage
Warm rufescent-brown upperparts with slightly paler, buff-tinged underparts and a lightly streaked throat. Wings and tail show richer rufous tones, and the face bears a subtle buffy supercilium. Feathers appear somewhat loose-textured, aiding its soft-tailed look.
Diet
Primarily small arthropods such as insects and spiders gleaned from leaves, vine tangles, and palm fronds. It probes dead leaf clusters and bark crevices, often hanging or creeping along thin branches. Short sallies to grab prey may occur but most foraging is deliberate gleaning within dense vegetation.
Preferred Environment
Feeds in flooded forest edges, riverine thickets, and palm swamps close to water. Typically forages from near ground level up to the midstory where cover is thick and continuous.
