Cranioleuca


The typical spinetails, Cranioleuca, are a genus of Neotropical birds in the ovenbird family Furnariidae.
This is a homogeneous group of small birds that live in forested habitats. The spinetails in this genus differ from those placed in Synallaxis in having shorter tails and being more arboreal. They are less vocal and more frequently join mixed flocks.

Taxonomy and species list

The genus Cranioleuca was introduced in 1853 by the German naturalist Ludwig Reichenbach with the light-crowned spinetail as the type species. The name combines the Ancient Greek kranion meaning "skull" with leukos meaning "white".
The genus contains 20 species:
ImageScientific nameCommon nameDistribution
 Cranioleuca berlepschiRusset-mantled softtailnorthern Peru
 Cranioleuca weskeiVilcabamba spinetailsouthern Peru
 Cranioleuca marcapataeMarcapata spinetailsouthern Peru
- Cranioleuca albicepsLight-crowned spinetailsoutheastern Peru and Bolivia
 Cranioleuca vulpinaRusty-backed spinetailColombia, Venezuela, riverine Amazonia and Brazil
- Cranioleuca dissitaCoiba spinetailCoiba Island
- Cranioleuca vulpeculaParker's spinetailriverine Amazonia
 Cranioleuca subcristataCrested spinetailnorthern Colombia and Venezuela
 Cranioleuca pyrrhophiaStripe-crowned spinetailsouthern Bolivia, Paraguay, Argentina and Uruguay
- Cranioleuca henricaeBolivian spinetailwestern Bolivia
 Cranioleuca obsoletaOlive spinetailSouth Region, eastern Paraguay and selva misionera
 Cranioleuca pallidaPallid spinetaileastern Brazil
 Cranioleuca semicinereaGrey-headed spinetailnortheastern Brazil
 Cranioleuca albicapillaCreamy-crested spinetailsouthern Peru
 Cranioleuca erythropsRed-faced spinetailTalamancan montane forests
and Andes of Colombia and Ecuador
 Cranioleuca demissaTepui spinetailtepuis
 Cranioleuca hellmayriStreak-capped spinetailsierra Nevada de Santa Marta
- Cranioleuca curtataAsh-browed spinetailnorthern Andes
 Cranioleuca antisiensisLine-cheeked spinetailsouthern Ecuador and Peru
 Cranioleuca muelleriScaled spinetaillower Amazon river