Hoary-throated spinetail facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Hoary-throated spinetail |
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| Conservation status | |
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Synallaxis
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| Species: |
kollari
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The hoary-throated spinetail (Synallaxis kollari) is a small bird that is in big trouble. It's listed as Critically Endangered, which means it's very close to disappearing forever. This special bird lives only in a small part of Brazil and Guyana, in South America. It belongs to the ovenbird family, known for their unique nests.
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What's in a Name?
Scientists give every animal a special name. The hoary-throated spinetail was first called Synallaxis kollari. For a while, some scientists thought it belonged to a different group called Poecilurus. But now, everyone agrees it's back in the Synallaxis group.
This bird is also like a "sister" to two other spinetail birds: the white-whiskered spinetail and the rufous-breasted spinetail. This means they are very closely related! The hoary-throated spinetail is "monotypic," which means it doesn't have any different types or subspecies.
Meet the Hoary-throated Spinetail
This spinetail is about 14.5 to 16 cm (5.7 to 6.3 in) long. That's about the size of a small sparrow! Both male and female birds look the same.
They have grayish feathers around their eyes and dark reddish-brown feathers covering their ears. There's also a reddish streak behind each eye. The top of their head is gray-brown. Their neck, back, and tail are a bright reddish-brown color. Their wings are also reddish-brown, but the tips of their flight feathers are darker.
Their throat is a dull black with white tips on the feathers, making it look "hoary" or frosty. Most of their belly is a reddish-brown color. The lower sides of their body are lighter, and the very center of their belly is a pale creamy white. Their eyes are dark reddish-brown. Their upper beak is dark gray, and their lower beak is blue-gray with a dark tip. Their legs and feet are also blue-gray.
Where Do They Live?
The hoary-throated spinetail lives in a very small area. You can find it only along certain rivers in northern Brazil (in the state of Roraima) and in the Upper Takutu-Upper Essequibo Region of Guyana.
They live in special "gallery forests." These are narrow strips of forest that grow right along the riverbanks. These forests are surrounded by wide grasslands. In Brazil, these grasslands are called "Lavrado," and in Guyana, they are called the Rupununi savannah. The total length of these narrow forest homes is less than 600 km (370 mi). They especially like thick bushes and vines, and Inga shrubs.
Staying Put
The hoary-throated spinetail doesn't migrate. It stays in its home along the rivers all year long.
What Do They Eat?
Scientists don't know much about what this specific spinetail eats or how it finds its food. However, other spinetail birds usually eat arthropods, which are creatures like insects and spiders. So, it's likely that the hoary-throated spinetail eats them too.
Life Cycle and Reproduction
Not much is known about how the hoary-throated spinetail builds its nest or raises its young. But like other spinetails, it probably builds a nest out of sticks.
What Sounds Do They Make?
The hoary-throated spinetail makes a "double-noted 'tuh-tih'" sound. The second note is higher than the first. Scientists are not sure if this sound is a song or just a call to other birds.
Why Are They Critically Endangered?
The IUCN (International Union for Conservation of Nature) keeps track of animals that are in danger. They first listed the hoary-throated spinetail as "Near Threatened" in 1988. Since 2012, it has been listed as Critically Endangered. This is the highest level of danger before an animal becomes extinct in the wild.
There are only an estimated 1,500 to 7,000 adult hoary-throated spinetails left. This number is believed to be shrinking.
Threats to Their Home
The biggest problem for these birds is that their forest homes are disappearing very quickly. People are turning these forests into rice farms. Also, fires, like the big fires in Roraima in 1999, are a major danger. These fires can spread through the grasslands and burn down the narrow gallery forests where the birds live.
About 60% of the forests where these birds live are inside areas set aside for indigenous (native) people. However, these areas are not always formally protected. Sometimes, people who are not indigenous illegally farm rice there, which further destroys the birds' habitat.
