Synallaxis scutata
Silhouette: Sheatherius · PhyloPic
In 3 days <5% in a week ~10%
The ochre-cheeked spinetail (Synallaxis scutata) is a species of bird in the Furnariinae subfamily of the ovenbird family Furnariidae. It is found in Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Paraguay, and Peru. The ochre-cheeked spinetail and two other spinetails have been placed by some authors in genus Poecilurus but there are insufficient plumage, behavioral, and genetic differences to support that treatment. The ochre-cheeked spinetail is not even closely related to the other two but is a sister species to the grey-bellied spinetail (S. cinerascens).
Beyond the confirmation that the ochre-cheeked spinetail belongs in genus Synallaxis its taxonomy is unsettled. Remsen (2020) states that teretiala and a proposed subspecies neglecta are indistinguishable from the nominate.
This article follows the two-subspecies model. Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Amboró National Park | 🇧🇴 Bolivia | |
| 2 | Chapada Diamantina National Park | 🇧🇷 Brazil |
Rare
Under 5% of wildlife watchers report an Ochre-cheeked Spinetail sighting in Chapada Diamantina National Park on a given day, based on 8 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 234th most-seen of the 271 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to under 5%, and over a week to about 10%, if each day is a fresh chance.
June
In that month about 20% of wildlife watchers report an Ochre-cheeked Spinetail in Chapada Diamantina National Park on a given day, against under 5% in July to May, the lowest months. That is one of Chapada Diamantina National Park's driest months, with about 50 mm of rain against 180 mm in November.
Between 8 and 11 am
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Ochre-cheeked Spinetail sightings with a recorded time, and about 8 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
2nd of 2
Of the 2 parks where we can rate Ochre-cheeked Spinetail sightings, Chapada Diamantina National Park ranks 2nd at under 5%. The best odds are in Amboró National Park (Bolivia, about 40%).
Same genus: Synallaxis
The closest relatives of the Ochre-cheeked Spinetail that you can see in Chapada Diamantina National Park (genus Synallaxis, Synallaxis Spinetails) are Pale-breasted Spinetail (about 20%), Sooty-fronted Spinetail (about 20%) and Spix's Spinetail (about 20%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Ochre-cheeked Spinetail is recorded against all the birds logged in Chapada Diamantina National Park (8 verified sightings from 2019 to 2026), calibrated against known sighting rates. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10% because citizen-science data supports honest approximations, not decimals, and months with records from fewer than five people show "—". How it works.
