The white-bellied spinetail is a species of bird in the Furnariinae subfamily of the ovenbird family Furnariidae. It is found in Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, French Guiana, and Peru.
Region
Amazon Basin
Typical Environment
Occurs in lowland Amazonian floodplains and along major rivers, especially on river islands with young, scrubby growth. Prefers dense stands of Cecropia, Gynerium cane, Tessaria, and other early-successional shrubs along sandbars and levees. Often uses edges of várzea (seasonally flooded) forest, second growth, and brushy river margins. It keeps close to the ground to mid-understory, exploiting tangled vegetation created by shifting river channels.
Altitude Range
0–600 m
Climate Zone
Tropical
Ease of Keeping
Beginner friendly: 1/5
A skulking ovenbird of dense river-edge thickets, the white-bellied spinetail often keeps low in tangles where it is more often heard than seen. It was long placed in Synallaxis but is now treated by many authorities in the monotypic genus Mazaria. Pairs frequently duet, and both sexes help build the bulky stick nest with a side entrance. It favors young, early-successional vegetation on river islands and along floodplain forests.
Temperament
secretive and skulking
Flight Pattern
short rapid wingbeats between dense shrubs
Social Behavior
Usually found singly or in pairs, maintaining small territories in dense riverside scrub. Pairs often duet and remain in contact through sharp calls while moving through cover. Nest is a bulky stick structure with a side entrance, placed low in dense vegetation; both sexes share nesting duties.
Migratory Pattern
Resident
Song Description
A fast series of high-pitched notes accelerating into a short trill, often delivered as a duet. Calls are sharp chips and dry rattles given frequently from cover.
