Cranioleuca marcapatae
The Marcapata Spinetail (Cranioleuca marcapatae) is a charming, small passerine bird, endemic to the humid montane forests of southeastern Peru. Measuring approximately 14-15 cm in length and weighing around 11-15 grams, this species exhibits a subtle but distinctive plumage. Key field marks include its rufous crown, a prominent buffy supercilium contrasting with a dusky eyestripe, dull olive-brown upperparts, and pale grayish-brown underparts. Its namesake feature is a graduated, rufous tail...
Resident in humid montane cloud forests and their edges, as well as dense shrubbery, typically at elevations between 2,300 and 3,400 meters above sea level.
Primarily insectivorous, feeding on small arthropods such as insects and spiders, which it gleans from foliage, twigs, and bark.
The Marcapata Spinetail is an active diurnal forager, often observed gleaning arthropods from moss-covered branches, dense foliage, and bark, usually in the mid to upper canopy. It frequently participates in mixed-species foraging flocks, moving swiftly and deliberately through the vegetation. Wh...
The Marcapata Spinetail is strictly endemic to the humid montane cloud forests of southeastern Peru. Its range is highly localized, primarily centered within the Marcapata Valley, situated in the departments of Cusco and northern Puno. It also extends marginally into parts of the Madre de Dios de...
Near Threatened
- The Marcapata Spinetail is named after the Marcapata Valley in southeastern Peru, the heart of its restricted range. - It is a member of the Furnariidae family, known as 'ovenbirds' due to the elaborate, oven-like nests built by some species, though spinetails typically construct enclosed stick...