Red-and-white Spinetail

About the Red-and-white Spinetail

The red-and-white spinetail (Certhiaxis mustelinus) is a species of bird in the Furnariinae subfamily of the ovenbird family Furnariidae. It is found in Brazil, Colombia, and Peru. The red-and-white spinetail shares genus Certhiaxis with the yellow-chinned spinetail (C. cinnamomeus). It is monotypic.

The red-and-white spinetail is 14 to 15 cm (5.5 to 5.9 in) long and weighs 14 to 16 g (0.49 to 0.56 oz). The sexes have the same plumage. Adults have black lores and a dusky brown line through the eye on an otherwise reddish brown face. Their crown and back are also reddish brown, with the back being slightly lighter. Their rump is a paler rufescent brown. Their wings are mostly bright rufous with dark fuscous tips on the flight feathers. Their tail is mostly rufous with duller brown inner webs on the central pair of feathers; the feathers have few barbs on their ends giving a spiny appearance. Their chin and throat are white. Their underparts are white with a pale buff wash on the belly, flanks, and undertail coverts. Their iris is brown, their maxilla gray to blackish, their mandible dark gray, and their legs and feet light gray. Juveniles... Wikipedia →