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Scaled Spinetail Cranioleuca muelleri Scientific name definitions

J. V. Remsen, Jr. and Christopher J. Sharpe
Version: 1.0 — Published March 4, 2020
Text last updated September 2, 2014

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Introduction

The Scaled Spinetail is endemic to the lower Amazon River in Brazil, where it inhabits flooded evergreen forest in the lowlands. It is restricted to the undergrowth and midstory of these várzea forests, and occurs from extreme eastern Amazonas state east as far as Mexiana Island, at the mouth of the river, and southern Amapá. The species usually forages in pairs, sometimes with mixed-species flocks, searching for insects, which it typically gleans from the bark and riverine debris. The Scaled Spinetail is marked by its rufous crown, wings and tail, with a dark brown back, pale supercilium, and heavily scaled throat, breast and belly. It is very similar to the congeneric Speckled Spinetail (Cranioleuca gutturata), which shares the same habitat but has a much wider range across Amazonia, although the present species can be separated by its scaled, rather than spotted underparts.

Field Identification

14–15 cm; 14–15 g. Dark Cranioleuca with scaly-looking underparts, giving juvenile-like appearance. Has narrow pale supercilium, dull brownish face faintly flammulated; forehead dark brown, crown dark reddish-chestnut, back rich dark brown, rump brown; wings mostly dark reddish-chestnut; tail graduated, rectrices stiffened basally, pointed at tips, dark chestnut; chin pale greyish, faintly scaled, becoming darker and more heavily scaled on throat; breast and belly very pale buff-brown with dark brown feather tips, creating scaled appearance; flanks and under­tail-coverts brown; iris brown; upper mandible blackish at base, blending to pale tip, lower mandible pale pinkish-grey with yellowish base; tarsus and toes olive-tinged yellow-green. Sexes alike. Juvenile has uniform upperparts with hint of ochraceous collar, scaling of underparts tinged ochraceous, feathers with broader dark tips.

Systematics History

See Cranioleuca vulpecula.

Subspecies

Monotypic.

Distribution

R Amazon in Brazil, from extreme E Amazonas E to S Amapá and Mexiana I.

Habitat

Flooded tropical evergreen forest, mainly undergrowth of várzea forest; 0–200 m.

Movement

Resident.

Diet and Foraging

Arthropods. Forages usually in pairs, often in mixed-species flocks, from undergrowth to mid-storey. Hitches along small branches; acrobatically gleans items from bark and debris.

Sounds and Vocal Behavior

No information.

Breeding

No information; only unconfirmed mention of nest as a globular mass of sticks and placed in tree.

ENDANGERED. Restricted-range species: present in Amazon Flooded Forests EBA. Poorly known species; apparently uncommon, and population thought likely to be relatively small. Until recently, not a conservation priority. However, based on a model of future deforestation in the Amazon basin (1), this species is expected to lose about half of its available habitat over three generations (11 years). Given its susceptibility to fragmentation and/or edge effects, its population is projected to decline by ≥50% over this period (2); it was therefore listed as Endangered in 2012 BirdLife International (2014) Species factsheet: Cranioleuca muelleri. Downloaded from http://www.birdlife.org on 02/09/2014. . Basic information on ecological requirements, abundance and population trends is urgently needed. Occurs within 3408 km2 Anavilhanas National Park.

Distribution of the Scaled Spinetail - Range Map
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  • Migration
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Distribution of the Scaled Spinetail

Recommended Citation

Remsen, Jr., J. V. and C. J. Sharpe (2020). Scaled Spinetail (Cranioleuca muelleri), version 1.0. In Birds of the World (J. del Hoyo, A. Elliott, J. Sargatal, D. A. Christie, and E. de Juana, Editors). Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Ithaca, NY, USA. https://doi.org/10.2173/bow.scaspi1.01
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