Photo: Nick Athanas / CC BY-SA 4.0 (Wikimedia Commons)
Vilcabamba Spinetail
Cranioleuca weskei
Vilcabamba Spinetail (Cranioleuca weskei) — Songbirds & Perching Birds of South America.
Found across 2 guides in our atlas — open any for the full checklist, photos and what's around right now.
The Vilcabamba Spinetail (Cranioleuca weskei) is a member of the Furnariidae family found in South America. Adults weigh 19.8 g. The IUCN Red List lists it as Least Concern.
Conservation status
IUCN Red List (opens in a new tab)Widespread and abundant — not currently at risk.
Where it fits
- Class Aves
- Order Passeriformes
- Family Furnariidae Ovenbirds
- Genus Cranioleuca
- Species weskei
Quick facts
- Weight
- 19.8 g
- Diet
- Invertebrate-eaters
- Family
- Furnariidae
- Order
- Passeriformes
- Habitat
- Woodland
How to identify
Similar birds
Near Threatened
Least Concern
Near Threatened
Least Concern
Biology & behaviour
Diet
The Vilcabamba Spinetail is a invertivore — it feeds mainly on invertebrates such as insects and other small prey.
Behaviour
A bird of dense forest, it spends much of its time perched in trees and shrubs.
Migration
The Vilcabamba Spinetail is largely sedentary, staying within its range year-round rather than making regular long-distance migrations.
The Vilcabamba Spinetail (Cranioleuca weskei) is a member of the Furnariidae family, within the order Passeriformes. Its range spans South America. Its distribution covers SA Vilcabamba Mts. (sc Peru).
It is a small bird. Adults weighs around 19.8 g, with a wing length of about 6.8 cm and a tail of around 7.5 cm.
The IUCN Red List currently assesses it as Least Concern. That category covers species that remain widespread and reasonably abundant in the wild.
The species has a mapped global range of roughly 17,000 km² — a relatively restricted global range.
Frequently asked questions
How big is the Vilcabamba Spinetail?
The Vilcabamba Spinetail is a small bird that weighs around 19.8 g.
Where does the Vilcabamba Spinetail live?
The Vilcabamba Spinetail is found across South America with a range covering SA Vilcabamba Mts. (sc Peru), where it favours woodland, forest and well-treed country.
What family does the Vilcabamba Spinetail belong to?
The Vilcabamba Spinetail (Cranioleuca weskei) belongs to the Furnariidae family, in the order Passeriformes.
What does the Vilcabamba Spinetail eat?
The Vilcabamba Spinetail is a invertivore — it feeds mainly on invertebrates such as insects and other small prey.
Does the Vilcabamba Spinetail migrate?
The Vilcabamba Spinetail is largely sedentary, staying within its range year-round rather than making regular long-distance migrations.
Is the Vilcabamba Spinetail endangered?
The IUCN Red List currently assesses it as Least Concern That category covers species that remain widespread and reasonably abundant in the wild.
How large is the Vilcabamba Spinetail's range?
The Vilcabamba Spinetail has a mapped global range of about 17,000 km².
Conservation
Every bird benefits from bird-safe windows, native plants, and keeping cats indoors. Small changes at home add up to real protection.
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Guides for this bird
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A field guide to the Furnariidae family — 321 species in the Birbs encyclopedia, with the best-known members to start with.