Birda Logo
Features
Birda+
About
Species Guide
Challenges
Shop
loading...

Rufous-breasted Spinetail

Synallaxis erythrothorax

The Rufous-breasted Spinetail, a member of the ovenbird family Furnariidae, is a small bird with a length ranging from 13 to 16 cm and a weight between 15 to 19 grams. Both sexes exhibit the same plumage, characterized by a sepia brown upper body, chestnut wings with brown-tipped flight feathers, and a chestnut brown tail with distinctive black shafts. The face is also sepia brown, while the chin and upper throat are slate black with white streaks, transitioning to a solid slate black lower throat. The breast and sides are a deep cinnamon rufous, with flanks of light brown and a belly mottled in whitish or mouse gray with an olive tinge. The undertail coverts are a lighter, grayer brown. The iris of this species is dark red to reddish brown, the bill is black, and the legs and feet are a bright gray to greenish gray.

Identification Tips

When identifying the Rufous-breasted Spinetail, look for the sepia brown upper parts, chestnut wings, and tail with black shafts. The distinctive slate black throat with white streaks and deep cinnamon rufous breast are key features. Juveniles are similar but have a lighter brown upper breast and flanks, with a pale grayish lower breast and belly mottled with brown.

Habitat

This species thrives in dense vegetation, including the edges of lowland evergreen forests, secondary forests, second-growth scrublands, brushy clearings, and swampy areas.

Distribution

The Rufous-breasted Spinetail has a disjunct distribution across parts of Central America. The nominate subspecies is found from Veracruz and northern Oaxaca in Mexico, extending southward through Belize and Guatemala to northwestern Honduras. The subspecies S. e. pacifica inhabits areas from southwestern Chiapas in Mexico through Guatemala to El Salvador.

Behaviour

The Rufous-breasted Spinetail is a year-round resident within its range, often seen foraging alone or in pairs. It gleans prey from foliage and the ground in dense vegetation.

Song & Calls

The song of this species is a nasal "weet!-weet!-weet!-Wur'r'r'r'r'r", while other vocalizations include a high, rising slightly shrieking "wrutuwit-wít-truw" and a nasal, emphatic "whit'chew". Its alarm call is a chatter or trill.

Breeding

The breeding season is not fully defined but includes at least late March to September. Both sexes participate in nest building, creating a dome of thorny sticks with a tunnel entrance. The nest is "thatched" with bark and leaves, and the inner chamber contains a cup of grass and fine twigs. Clutches typically consist of three eggs, sometimes four, with an incubation period of 17 to 18 days and fledging occurring about 15 days after hatching.

Diet and Feeding

The diet consists mostly of arthropods, supplemented with small berries. The Rufous-breasted Spinetail forages in dense vegetation, gleaning prey from foliage and the ground.

Conservation status

The IUCN has classified the Rufous-breasted Spinetail as Least Concern. It has a large range and a stable estimated population of at least 50,000 mature individuals. No immediate threats have been identified, though the future impact of human activities will depend on the balance between secondary habitat creation and deforestation.

App logo
Birda is a birdwatching app and community aimed at curious people who want to deepen their connection with nature.

Rufous-breasted Spinetails on Birda

Sightings
A map showing the sighting location
Profile picture for Jane Crawford
Jane Crawford
22 Sep 2024 - 2:17pm
Belize

More Ovenbirds

A photo of a Austral Canastero (Asthenes anthoides)

Austral Canastero

Asthenes anthoides
Birda Logo

Your birdwatching journey like never before

Connect with nature in minutes
Take a walk, look out of the window and log the birds that you see. Feel good about those little connections to nature.
Discover the joy of birding
Find new birding spots, see more birds, share and celebrate with a like-minded community of nature lovers.
Play your part in saving nature
Logging your birding sightings and sessions turns into positive action for our planet. Every sighting counts.

Birda Blog

What Our Birders Say
Dan R
Great app for bird fanatics
Great app for bird fanatics - very user friendly and a perfect place to share sightings.
Paul F
Very good database
Highly recommend. It great that this app shows you male Vs female variations when posting. Very good database I'm really impressed.
EandB17
Terrific App for Birders
Downloaded Birda around the time my interest in birding was sparked, and it has been a terrific app to help me (1) share my experience, (2) document my sightings, and (3) learn more about birds in general. That said, I also believe Birda is a fantastic app for birders of all experience levels. Great community!
Tralisalandhoop
Fantastic app - Love it!
Love this app and have used it almost daily. Lots of species information and easy to use. Love seeing birds spotted by other users in the UK and worldwide.
Anonymous
The best bird logging app
Birda is honestly the best bird logging app I have seen. I love all the features it has from being able to do a session and log all the birds you see in one sitting, to being able to connect with other birders from all over the globe!
Alex J
Friendly and helps to identify birds
Great birding app, good for logging your sightings, also has nice species guide. I'm enjoying the social aspect more than I expected, everyone seems friendly and helps to identify unknown birds. Good mix of newbies and experienced users.
Alice J
Awesome Birding Community
I absolutely love the community aspect of this app. The app is so user friendly and has fun interactive challenges to get you out birding. I’ve tried others but since I’ve started using Birda I’ve not gone back!
Sacha0508
Simply fantastic
I love this app, it puts so much fun into recording the birds I’ve seen and heard while I’m out and about. The interface is user-friendly and suitable for all ages. It’s great to collect badges and to review my “lists”.
Hip An
Fantastic
Really enjoying Birda where I live i have a lot of Red kites really hard to photograph but I can video are you planning some place on the app where us Birda can post vids🦉🦅
Bryan C
Clean and easy to use
Really enjoying this app, it's clean and easy to use. I love the ease of being able to add those one-off birds without starting a whole checklist. I also like the social aspect, like the parts of my Facebook I like, without the ads and junk, just birds. Can't wait to see it become more populated.
As featured in
Birda Logo
AboutPressAmbassadorsAffiliatesInfluencersCareersPrivacyTerms & Conditions
An app for birdwatchers
Connect with us
Copyright © 2024 Chirp Birding. All rights reserved.