Cranioleuca demissa
The Tepui Spinetail (Cranioleuca demissa) is a small, enigmatic passerine belonging to the ovenbird family (Furnariidae), a diverse group known for their elaborate nests. Measuring approximately 13.5-14.5 cm in length and weighing around 12-16 grams, this species is characterized by its dusky olive-brown upperparts, a distinctive rufous crown, and a prominent buffy supercilium contrasting with a dark eyestripe. Its underparts are a dull whitish throat transitioning to dusky olive-gray, while ...
Found exclusively in submontane and montane evergreen forests, cloud forests, and associated forest edges of the Tepui plateaus, typically at elevations between 1000 and 2400 meters.
Primarily insectivorous, feeding on small invertebrates such as insects (including caterpillars, beetles, and ants) and spiders, which it gleans and probes from vegetation.
The Tepui Spinetail is a highly active, arboreal insectivore, observed foraging energetically through the forest understory and mid-canopy. It employs an acrobatic foraging strategy, gleaning small arthropods and insects from moss-covered branches, bark crevices, and leaf surfaces, often hanging ...
The Tepui Spinetail is strictly endemic to the isolated Tepui mountain ranges of the Guiana Shield in northeastern South America. Its primary distribution covers specific Tepuis within southeastern Venezuela (primarily BolĂvar state, including prominent mountains like Roraima, Chimantá, Auyantepu...
Least Concern
- The Tepui Spinetail is a true 'sky island' endemic, found only on the isolated, tabletop mountains known as Tepuis in the Guiana Shield. - Despite its common name, the 'spines' on its tail feathers are less pronounced than in many other spinetail species, making it a more subtle feature. - It i...