Red-and-white spinetail

The red-and-white spinetail is a species of bird in the Furnariinae subfamily of the ovenbird family Furnariidae. It is found in Brazil, Colombia, and Peru.

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Distribution

Region

Western Amazon Basin

Typical Environment

Occurs along major whitewater rivers and their islands in western Amazonia of Brazil (upper Solimões/Japurá), southeastern Colombia (Amazonas), and northeastern Peru (Loreto and adjacent drainages). It favors early successional scrub on river islands, tall cane (Gynerium), young Cecropia groves, and other seasonally flooded várzea thickets. Birds keep low to mid-levels in dense vegetation and often remain near water edges and oxbow lakes. It is a habitat specialist tied to dynamic riverine environments shaped by flooding and deposition.

Altitude Range

Sea level to 400 m

Climate Zone

Tropical

Characteristics

Size14–16 cm

Wing Span18–22 cm

Male Weight0.015 kg

Female Weight0.014 kg

Life Expectancy6 years

Ease of Keeping

Beginner friendly: 1/5

Useful to know

This river-island specialist keeps to dense shrubbery and young river-edge growth, where it forages in pairs and flicks its long, stiff tail. Like many furnariids, it builds a bulky, enclosed nest with a side entrance concealed in tangles. Its contrasting rufous-and-white plumage makes it one of the more striking spinetails of the western Amazon.

Gallery

Behaviour

Temperament

skulking and territorial

Flight Pattern

short rapid wingbeats

Social Behavior

Usually found in pairs or small family groups maintaining linear territories along river margins and islands. Nests are bulky, domed structures placed in dense vegetation, with a side entrance. Pairs remain in contact with frequent calls while foraging through tangles.

Migratory Pattern

Resident

Song Description

A fast series of sharp notes and buzzy trills delivered from low perches within thickets. Calls include harsh churring and dry chips used for pair contact.

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Identification

Leg Colorblackish-grey

Eye Colordark brown

Plumage

Crisp contrast of rich rufous upperparts and wings with clean whitish underparts; long, graduated tail with stiff, spiny tips. Face shows a bright white supercilium and throat offset by warm rufous crown and nape.

Feeding Habits

Diet

Primarily small insects and other arthropods gleaned from leaves, stems, and vine tangles. It probes and picks methodically through cane, shrubs, and young trees. Occasionally hawks short distances to snatch flushed prey and may take small spiders and larvae.

Preferred Environment

Feeds in dense riverine scrub, cane beds, and early successional growth on river islands and floodplain edges. It stays low to mid-levels, often within a few meters of the ground or waterline where cover is thick.

Population

Total Known Populationunknown

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