Ovenbirds (Furnariidae)

Red-faced Spinetail (Cranioleuca erythrops) - HBW 8, p. 296

French: Synallaxe à face rouge German: Rotgesicht-Baumschlüpfer Spanish: Curutié Carirrojo
Other common names: Lawrence’s Spinetail (rufigenis)

Taxonomy: Synallaxis erythrops P. L. Sclater, 1860, Pallatanga, Chimborazo, Ecuador.
Forms a superspecies with C. demissa, C. hellmayri, C. curtata, C. antisiensis and C. baroni; all share plumage similarities and mostly lower montane distribution, and their close relationship is consistent with recent genetic data. Racial identity of birds in E Panama uncertain; tentatively placed with griseigularis. Specimens from S Colombia may be intermediate between latter and nominate race. Three subspecies recognized.

Subspecies and Distribution:

rufigenis (Lawrence, 1868) - mountains of Costa Rica and W Panama.
griseigularis (Ridgway, 1909) - extreme E Panama (Cerro Pirre, Cerro Tacarcuna, Cerro Mali) and W & C Andes of Colombia (on W slope from Antioquia S to Quindío).
erythrops (P. L. Sclater, 1860) - Andes of W Ecuador (S to NW Azuay, also in coastal Cordillera de Mache in SW Manabí and W Guayas).