Cranioleuca vulpecula
The Parker's Spinetail (*Cranioleuca vulpecula*) is a small, energetic ovenbird, measuring approximately 13-14 cm (5.1-5.5 inches) in length. Its most striking feature is its distinctly spiny, graduated rufous tail, which gives the species its common name. The bird exhibits rufous-brown upperparts, a contrasting deep rufous crown, and paler buffy-rufous underparts, complemented by a subtle whitish supercilium above the eye. These field marks, particularly the crown and tail, aid in distinguis...
This spinetail exclusively inhabits riparian (riverine) forests, várzea (seasonally flooded) forests, and secondary growth along the banks and islands of major lowland Amazonian rivers, typically at elevations below 500 meters.
The diet of Parker's Spinetail consists almost entirely of insects and other small arthropods, which it expertly gleans from foliage, bark, and twigs.
Parker's Spinetail is a highly active and agile insectivore, spending its days foraging primarily in the low to mid-story strata (1-10 meters) of dense forest vegetation. It employs various techniques, including gleaning insects and arthropods from leaves, twigs, and bark, often hanging upside do...
The Parker's Spinetail is endemic to the western Amazon basin of South America, maintaining a resident distribution throughout its range. Its core breeding and year-round territory extends from northeastern Peru (Loreto, Ucayali, Madre de Dios) eastward into western Brazil (Amazonas, Acre, Rondôn...
Least Concern
- The genus name *Cranioleuca* combines Greek words meaning "skull" and "white," referring to some species' pale crowns or supercilia, though Parker's has a rufous crown. - Its common name honors Kenneth C. Parker, an American ornithologist who collected the type specimen in Peru. - Like other sp...