Synallaxis spixi
Silhouette: Sheatherius · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~20% in a week ~40%
Spix's spinetail (Synallaxis spixi), previously known as the chicli spinetail, is a species of bird in the Furnariinae subfamily of the ovenbird family Furnariidae. It is found in Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay, and Uruguay.
Spix's spinetail is monotypic. However, what is now the cinereous-breasted spinetail (S. hypospodia) was previously treated as a subspecies of it. The two are considered sister species. The species' English name and specific epithet commemorate the German naturalist Johann Baptist von Spix (1782-1826). The previous name "chicli spinetail" is supposedly onomatopeoic, but does not resemble the species' song. It is thought to have once been more properly applied to the sooty-fronted spinetail (S. frontalis).
Spix's spinetail is 16 to 17 cm (6.3 to 6.7 in) long and weighs about 12 to 15 g (0.42 to 0.53 oz). The sexes have the same plumage. Adults have a pale gray supercilium on an otherwise grayish brown face. Their crown is rufous and their back, rump and uppertail coverts dark brown. Their lesser wing coverts are rufous, their median and greater wing coverts dark brown with wide rufous edges, and their flight feathers... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Serra da Canastra National Park | 🇧🇷 Brazil | |
| 2 | Chapada Diamantina National Park | 🇧🇷 Brazil | |
| 3 | Itatiaia National Park | 🇧🇷 Brazil | |
| 4 | Serra dos Órgãos National Park | 🇧🇷 Brazil | |
| 5 | Iguazú National Park | 🇦🇷 Argentina | |
| 6 | Iberá National Park | 🇦🇷 Argentina | |
| 7 | Iguaçu National Park | 🇧🇷 Brazil |
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Curitiba | 🇧🇷 Brazil | |
| 2 | São Paulo | 🇧🇷 Brazil | |
| 3 | Porto Alegre | 🇧🇷 Brazil | |
| 4 | Buenos Aires | 🇦🇷 Argentina | |
| 5 | Belo Horizonte | 🇧🇷 Brazil | |
| 6 | Santos | 🇧🇷 Brazil | |
| 7 | Campinas | 🇧🇷 Brazil | |
| 8 | Montevideo | 🇺🇾 Uruguay |
With luck
About 10% of wildlife watchers report a Spix's Spinetail sighting in Buenos Aires on a given day, based on 1,081 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 108th most-seen of the 274 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 20%, and over a week to about 40%, if each day is a fresh chance.
March to December
In those months about 10% of wildlife watchers report a Spix's Spinetail in Buenos Aires on a given day, against under 5% in January and February, the lowest months.
Between 8 and 11 am
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Spix's Spinetail sightings with a recorded time, and about 9 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
4th of 8
Of the 8 cities where we can rate Spix's Spinetail sightings, Buenos Aires ranks 4th at about 10%. The best odds are in Curitiba (Brazil, about 20%), São Paulo (Brazil, about 10%) and Porto Alegre (Brazil, about 10%).
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Spix's Spinetail is recorded against all the birds logged in Buenos Aires (1,081 verified sightings), 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.
