The sooty-fronted spinetail is a species of bird in the Furnariinae subfamily of the ovenbird family Furnariidae. It is found in Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Paraguay, and Uruguay.
Region
South-Central South America
Typical Environment
Occurs from eastern Bolivia through Paraguay and southern/central Brazil south into Uruguay and northeastern Argentina. It favors forest edges, scrub, second growth, and riparian thickets, including cerrado and chaco margins. The species is adaptable to disturbed habitats with dense undergrowth. It generally keeps to tangles, hedgerows, and bushy pastures near woodlots.
Altitude Range
0–1500 m
Climate Zone
Subtropical
Ease of Keeping
Beginner friendly: 1/5
A small, active ovenbird, the sooty-fronted spinetail keeps to dense brush where it builds elaborate domed nests with side entrances. It often forages low to mid-levels, flicking its rufous tail and giving sharp calls. Despite its secretive habits, it is common across much of its range.
Temperament
skulking and active
Flight Pattern
short rapid wingbeats, low and darting through cover
Social Behavior
Usually found singly, in pairs, or family groups, maintaining territories year-round. Builds a bulky domed stick nest with a side entrance in dense vegetation. Occasionally joins mixed-species flocks along edges but rarely ventures into open areas.
Migratory Pattern
Resident
Song Description
Song is a quick, dry, accelerating trill or rattle, often delivered from hidden perches. Calls include sharp chips and scolds that cut through dense brush.
Plumage
Brown to rufescent upperparts with a distinctly sooty forehead and forecrown, grayish face, and paler underparts that are gray to buffy. Wings and long graduated tail are warm rufous, often flared. Feathers appear sleek but slightly tousled on the crown.
Diet
Primarily takes small arthropods such as beetles, ants, spiders, and caterpillars. Gleans from leaves, twigs, and vine tangles, and probes into dead foliage clusters. Foraging is methodical but restless, with frequent tail flicks.
Preferred Environment
Dense understory, hedgerows, and vine tangles at forest edges and in secondary growth. Also uses scrubby savanna and riparian thickets with abundant cover.
