Gray-headed Spinetail

About the Gray-headed Spinetail

The grey-headed spinetail (Cranioleuca semicinerea) is a species of bird in the Furnariinae subfamily of the ovenbird family Furnariidae. It is endemic to Brazil. The grey-headed spinetail's taxonomy is unsettled. The International Ornithological Committee and BirdLife International's Handbook of the Birds of the World treat it as monotypic. The Clements taxonomy assigns it two subspecies, the nominate C. s. semicinerea (Reichenbach, 1853) and C. s. goyana (Pinto, 1936).

This article follows the monotypic model. The grey-headed spinetail is 14 to 16 cm (5.5 to 6.3 in) long and weighs 14 to 16 g (0.49 to 0.56 oz). The sexes have the same plumage, which in its range is unique. Adults have a faint whitish supercilium and a gray-brown line through the eye on an otherwise pale gray face. Their forehead is pale buffy gray and their crown and nape are slightly darker gray; the crown has a short crest. Their back, tail, and wings are rufous-brown. Their tail feathers are graduated and lack barbs at the end giving a spiny appearance. Their throat and belly are pale gray and their breast, flanks, and undertail coverts are darker gray. Their iris... Wikipedia →