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Pallid Spinetail
Cranioleuca pallida
Brazilian name:
Arredio-pálido
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Brazil
The Pallid Spinetail is distributed in
south-east Brazil from southern Bahia to Paraná. It is
found in Atlantic Rain Forest at between 700 and 2150 metres,
usually near the canopy or on the edges. It is a Brazilian endemic.
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Photos 1 to 3 were taken at
Intervales, São Paulo and, at first glance, I assumed that
this was an Olive Spinetail Cranioleuca obsoleta largely
because of its brown rather than rufous crown. However, I was
concerned that the entire wing was rufous because the Olive
Spinetail has only rufous wing coverts. I consulted Jeremy Minns
who suggested that it might be an immature Pallid Spinetail since
the juvenile has a brown not a rufous crown. This was confirmed
by Fernando Straube. |
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Both Jeremy and Fernando
commented on the position of the bird since neither of them had
seen one on the ground before. But birds have to bathe at some
time and this was obviously a convenient puddle.
Fernando also mentioned that, although
Ridgely & Tudor say, "Olive Spinetail lacks
the rufous crown and is probably never sympatric with
Pallid", there is in fact an extensive area in the south of
São Paulo state and in Paraná where the two species
occur together.
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Photos 4 and 5 were taken at
Itatiaia, Rio de Janeiro while photo 6 is from Boa Nova, Bahia,
possibly the northern limit of its distribution. Photo 7 taken in
November, is from Serra Bonita, Camacan, Bahia. Unfortunately, I wasn't there long enough to see if
the collection of moss and lichen below the bird was a nest in
the process of being built. |
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There are recordings on
xeno-canto, a distribution map from NatureServe and additional information
available via Avibase. There is a page with excellent
photos on Wikiaves. |
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