McConnell's spinetail is a species of bird in the Furnariinae subfamily of the ovenbird family Furnariidae. It is found in Brazil, French Guiana, Guyana, Suriname, and Venezuela.
Region
Guiana Shield and northern Amazonia
Typical Environment
Occurs in northern South America, found in Guyana, Suriname, French Guiana, southern Venezuela, and northern Brazil. It inhabits lowland and foothill evergreen forest, riverine thickets, and dense second growth, often around forest edges and clearings. Prefers tangled understory with vines, bamboo, or saplings, where it can move quietly and remain concealed. It is generally a resident species throughout its range and is patchy where suitable dense understory is present.
Altitude Range
Sea level to 1200 m
Climate Zone
Tropical
Ease of Keeping
Beginner friendly: 1/5
A skulking furnariid of the Guiana Shield, McConnell's spinetail keeps to dense tangles and thickets where it forages close to the ground. Pairs often duet with a fast, chattering song and defend small territories year-round. Like many spinetails, it builds a bulky, domed stick nest with a side entrance placed low in dense vegetation.
Temperament
solitary and territorial
Flight Pattern
short rapid wingbeats
Social Behavior
Usually found singly or in pairs, maintaining small territories in dense understory. Pairs remain in contact with soft calls and may join mixed-species understory flocks briefly. The nest is a bulky, domed structure of twigs with a side entrance, placed low in dense vegetation. Likely monogamous with both sexes involved in nesting duties.
Migratory Pattern
Resident
Song Description
A rapid series of sharp chips accelerating into a chattering trill, often given as a duet by a pair. Calls include dry ticks and scolds delivered from cover.
Plumage
Brownish-olive upperparts with warm rufous wings and a prominently rufous, spiny-tipped tail; underparts grayish to buff with a paler throat. The face is grayish with a faint pale supercilium and subtle darker lores. Feathers appear somewhat loose and shaggy around the tail base, accentuating the spinetail look.
Diet
Primarily small arthropods such as insects and spiders gleaned from leaves, twigs, and vine tangles. It probes clusters of dead leaves and hover-gleans briefly to take prey from leaf edges. Occasionally picks prey from the ground or fallen branches. Plant matter is minimal and incidental.
Preferred Environment
Feeds in dense understory, vine tangles, bamboo patches, and edges of terra firme forest and second growth. Often forages 0.5–3 m above the ground and stays close to cover, moving methodically through thickets.
