Synallaxis spixi
Silhouette: Sheatherius · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~60% in a week ~90%
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 |
Possible
About 30% of wildlife watchers report a Spix's Spinetail sighting in Serra da Canastra National Park on a given day, based on 165 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 57th most-seen of the 294 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 60%, and over a week to about 90%, if each day is a fresh chance.
October
In that month about 40% of wildlife watchers report a Spix's Spinetail in Serra da Canastra National Park on a given day, against about 20% in April, June–July and November–December, 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.
Yes
Of the 7 parks where we can rate Spix's Spinetail sightings, Serra da Canastra National Park has the highest daily chance: about 30%. Next come Chapada Diamantina National Park (Brazil, about 20%) and Itatiaia National Park (Brazil, about 20%).
Same genus: Synallaxis
The closest relatives of the Spix's Spinetail that you can see in Serra da Canastra National Park (genus Synallaxis, Synallaxis Spinetails) are Pale-breasted Spinetail (about 20%) and Sooty-fronted Spinetail (about 10%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Spix's Spinetail is recorded against all the birds logged in Serra da Canastra National Park (165 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.
