'Mystery furnariid'

'Mystery furnariid' 'Mystery furnariid'

Furnariidae

Pictures: Teus Luijendijk

This bird struck me as I was unable to identify it. Not that that is an uncommon situation in a country like Brazil, but this bird showed itself very well, making the puzzle even more frustrating. It was obviously related to the spinetails, but it did not show any rufous on the head, as I would expect for e.g., a Yellow-chinned Spinetail Certhiaxis cinnamomea, which is a widespread species that could turn up anywhere.
The bird was present in a rough area along the road to the nautical club of Caiobá, on the edge of a restinga woodland. It foraged on the (rather marshy) ground or in very low bushes. Apart from the grey head, it showed an obvious supercilium (mainly in front of and over the eye), and a rather long straight bill. Wings and tail were strikingly rufous, as can be seen on the pictures. The overall jizz was not unlike that of a European Acrocephalus warbler.

Any ideas to the identity of this bird are welcome, please e-mail me if you have any!

After several years without any response leading to a conclusive identification, I finally received a suggestion that may be the solution to the problem: it might have been a juvenile Pallid Spinetail Cranioleuca pallida. Pictures for comparison can be found on Arthur Grosset's Birds of Brazil photo page. The only things that still bother me:

these juvenile Pallid Spinetails apparently do not show a grey back (like this bird does),

Pallid Spinetail is said to occur between 700 and 2200 m above sea level; this bird was at sea level.



'Mystery furnariid' Furnariidae videograbs (20x), contrast enhanced. Near Caiobá PR, Brazil, 27 January 2002.