Random Article Summary #109

Cabanis’s spinetail (Synallaxis cabanisi) is a type of bird in the ovenbird family, specifically in the Furnariinae subfamily. It lives in South America. Its range includes Brazil, Bolivia, and Peru. Cabanis's spinetail has two subspecies: the nominate S. c. cabanisi and S. c. fulviventris. For much of the 20th century, McConnell's spinetail was treated as the same species, but genetic studies later showed that Cabanis's, McConnell's, and the dusky spinetail are closely related, with later evidence suggesting the dusky spinetail may be closer to the rufous-capped spinetail. The species name honors the German ornithologist Jean Louis Cabanis. Cabanis's spinetail is a small bird, measuring 16–18 cm long and weighing 16–24 g. Males and females look alike, with a sooty gray-brown face, dark rufous-chestnut crown and nape, and a dull chestnut, graduated tail with pointed feathers. Juveniles are darker gray and have more grayish underparts, while the subspecies S. c. fulviventris is smaller and has a whiter throat and much paler underparts. Cabanis’s spinetail lives mostly in the eastern foothills of the Andes, ranging from central and southern Peru into Bolivia. It also has an isolated population in west-central Brazil, though its exact relationship is debated. The bird inhabits forest edges and riparian areas with dense undergrowth, often in bamboo or cane thickets, and is found at low elevations between about 200 and 350 m. Cabanis’s spinetail stays in its area all year long. It does not migrate, so it can be found throughout its range in every season.