Andean tit-spinetail
Andean tit-spinetail | |
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Scientific classification | |
Domain: | Eukaryota |
Kingdom: | Animalia |
Phylum: | Chordata |
Class: | Aves |
Order: | Passeriformes |
Family: | Furnariidae |
Genus: | Leptasthenura
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Species: | L. andicola
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Binomial name | |
Leptasthenura andicola Sclater, PL, 1870
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The Andean tit-spinetail (Leptasthenura andicola) is a species of
Taxonomy and systematics
The Andean tit-spinetail has these five subspecies:[2]
- L. a. certhia (Madarász, G, 1903)
- L. a. extima Todd, 1916
- L. a. exterior Todd, 1919
- L. a. andicola Sclater, PL, 1870
- L. a. peruviana Chapman, 1919
Description
The Andean tit-spinetail is 15 to 17 cm (5.9 to 6.7 in) long and weighs about 15 to 16 g (0.53 to 0.56 oz). It is a small-bodied, long-tailed
Subspecies L. a. extima is smaller than the nominate, with a narrower and buffier supercilium, paler crown streaks, bright cinnamon brown edges on the wing coverts, much cinnamon rufous on the flight feathers, and a buffier brown belly. L. a. certhia has a whiter supercilium than extima, with lighter crown streaks, smaller cinnamon edges on the wing coverts and flight feathers, a whiter throat and breast, and grayer underparts. L. a. exterior compared to extima has a brighter black-streaked rufous crown, wider white streaks on the back, a whiter throat, and a less brownish belly. L. a. peruviana compared to the nominate has a less streaky face, a paler crown with narrower black streaks, paler edges on the wing coverts, wider buff edges on the flight feathers, and a darker breast and belly.[3][5]
Distribution and habitat
The Andean tit-spinetail has a disjunct distribution from Venezuela to Bolivia. Its subspecies are found thus:[2][3]
- L. a. certhia: Andes in western Venezuela's Mérida and Trujillo states
- L. a. extima: the isolated Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta in northern Colombia
- L. a. exterior: Colombia's Eastern Andes in Boyacá and Cundinamarca departments
- L. a. andicola: from Tolima Department in Colombia's Central Andes south in the Andes of Ecuador to Zamora-Chinchipe Province
- L. a. peruviana: Andes of western and southern Peru from Ancash to Arequipa and Puno departments, and into Bolivia as far as La Paz Department
The Andean tit-spinetail generally inhabits semi-arid to arid montane scrublands. In the north it also occurs in humid grasslands and páramo, and throughout its range it occurs in Polylepis woodlands. In elevation it is found between 3,400 and 4,400 m (11,200 and 14,400 ft) in Venezuela, 3,000 and 4,200 m (9,800 and 13,800 ft) in Colombia, 3,200 and 4,000 m (10,500 and 13,100 ft) in Ecuador, 3,500 and 4,200 m (11,500 and 13,800 ft) in Peru, and 3,500 and 4,450 m (11,500 and 14,600 ft) in Bolivia.[3][4][5]
Behavior
Movement
The Andean tit-spinetail is a year-round resident throughout its range.[3]
Feeding
The Andean tit-spinetail feeds on
Breeding
The Andean tit-spinetail's breeding season or seasons have not been fully defined. It varies geographically but overall appears to fall between May and December. It makes a cup nest of grass and moss lined with animal fur, seed fluff, and feathers. It places it on the ground, in a cavity overhung by vegetation, under the eave of a structure, and sometimes at the end of a burrow that a mammal or some other bird excavated. The clutch size is usually two eggs. The incubation period is at least 16 days, the time to fledging is not known, and both parents provision nestlings.[3]
Vocalization
What is thought to be the Andean tit-spinetail's song has been described as "a descending series of notes starting and ending with a trill or a tinkling trill that descends a little"[3] and as "a hesitating series of high-pitched short trills"[4]. Its calls include "a weak, tinkling téz-dit or téz-dit-dit" and "fine zik, ti, or tic notes". It also makes "a high, mammallike squeal".[3]
Status
The
References
- ^ . Retrieved 13 September 2023.
- ^ Rasmussen, Pamela, eds. (July 2023). "Ovenbirds, woodcreepers". IOC World Bird List. v 13.2. Retrieved July 31, 2023.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j Smith, L. (2020). Andean Tit-Spinetail (Leptasthenura andicola), version 1.0. In Birds of the World (T. S. Schulenberg, Editor). Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Ithaca, NY, USA. https://doi.org/10.2173/bow.antspi1.01 retrieved September 13, 2023
- ^ ISBN 978-0-8014-8721-7.
- ^ ISBN 978-0-9827615-0-2.