Search Help

Ovenbirds (Furnariidae)

Rufous Spinetail (Synallaxis unirufa) - HBW 8, p. 280

French: Synallaxe roux German: Rötlichbrauner Dickichtschlüpfer Spanish: Pijuí Rufo

Taxonomy: Synnalaxis [sic] unirufus Lafresnaye, 1843, Colombia = “Bogotá”.
Forms a superspecies with S. castanea and S. fuscorufa; all three have sometimes been considered conspecific, but substantial vocal differences documented and reciprocal playback trials reveal pronounced vocal discrimination. Birds in Cajamarca (N Peru), duller and less rufous than any others, apparently represent an undescribed race. Four subspecies recognized.

Subspecies and Distribution:

  • munoztebari Phelps, Sr. & Phelps, Jr., 1953 - Perijá Mts of NE Colombia and NW Venezuela.
  • meridana Hartert & Goodson, 1917 - Andes of W Venezuela (Trujillo S to Táchira) and NC Colombia (extreme NW part of E range in Norte de Santander).
  • unirufa Lafresnaye, 1843 - Andes of Colombia (S possibly from Chocó in W range, from Antioquia in C, and in Cundinamarca and W Casanare in E) and Ecuador (on W slope S only to W Cotopaxi).
  • ochrogaster J. T. Zimmer, 1935 - Peruvian Andes from Amazonas S to N Cuzco (Cordillera Vilcabamba).

About us | Contact us | FAQ