Ovenbirds (Furnariidae)

Azara's Spinetail (Synallaxis azarae) - HBW 8, p. 277

French: Synallaxe d’Azara German: Azaradickichtschlüpfer Spanish: Pijuí de Azara
Other common names: Buff-browed Spinetail (superciliosa with samaipatae); Elegant Spinetail (elegantior with media, ochracea and fruticicola)

Taxonomy: Synallaxis Azaræ d’Orbigny, 1835, Carcuata, Yungas, Cochabamba, Bolivia.
Considered by some authors to form a superspecies with S. frontalis and S. courseni on basis of plumage and vocal similarities. C Peruvian populations may be closer genetically to latter than they are to geographically distant populations of present species, constitution of which would thereby be rendered paraphyletic. Races superciliosa and samaipatae formerly treated as representing a separate species, but voice and evidence of introgression suggest that they are better considered conspecific. Races elegantior and ochracea possibly indistinguishable from each other but separated geographically by media; all three, together with fruticicola, sometimes treated as forming a separate species, originally on basis mainly of vocal differences (not confirmed subsequently) and difference in number of rectrices. Proposed race carabayae, described from S Peru (Puno) and N Bolivia (La Paz), purportedly darker than nominate, but individual specimens of the two forms found to be indistinguishable. Nine subspecies recognized.

Subspecies and Distribution:

elegantior P. L. Sclater, 1856 - E Andes of Colombia and W Venezuela (Trujillo and SE Lara S to Táchira).
media Chapman, 1914 - W & C Andes of Colombia S to Ecuador (S to Cotopaxi in W and to Zamora-Chinchipe in E), possibly also in N Peru (extreme NE Cajamarca).
ochracea J. T. Zimmer, 1936 - Andes of SW Ecuador (S from Guayas and S Chimborazo) and NW Peru (Tumbes S to Lambayeque).

See all 9 subspecies

elegantior P. L. Sclater, 1856 - E Andes of Colombia and W Venezuela (Trujillo and SE Lara S to Táchira).
media Chapman, 1914 - W & C Andes of Colombia S to Ecuador (S to Cotopaxi in W and to Zamora-Chinchipe in E), possibly also in N Peru (extreme NE Cajamarca).
ochracea J. T. Zimmer, 1936 - Andes of SW Ecuador (S from Guayas and S Chimborazo) and NW Peru (Tumbes S to Lambayeque).
fruticicola Taczanowski, 1880 - Marañón Valley in N Peru (Cajamarca S to La Libertad).
infumata J. T. Zimmer, 1925 - Andes of N & C Peru (Amazonas S to Junín).
urubambae J. T. Zimmer, 1935 - S Peru (Cuzco).
azarae d’Orbigny, 1835 - S Peru (Puno) S to C Bolivia (La Paz S to NW Santa Cruz).
samaipatae Bond & Meyer de Schauensee, 1941 - S Bolivian Andes (C Santa Cruz S to Tarija).
superciliosa Cabanis, 1883 - Andes of NW Argentina (Jujuy S to Catamarca).