Necklaced Spinetail

The necklaced spinetail is 11 to 13 cm (4.3 to 5.1 in) long and weighs 10 to 14 g (0.35 to 0.49 oz). It is one of the smallest members of genus Synallaxis. The sexes have the same plumage. Adults of the nominate subspecies have a white supercilium on an otherwise blackish face with faint whitish streaks. Their forecrown has black and white streaks. The rest of their crown is dull grayish brown, their back slightly browner, their rump rufescent-brown, and their uppertail coverts bright rufous. The wing has whitish at the bend; the coverts and secondaries are rufous and the primaries dusky. Their tail is bright rufous but for the dark brownish central pair of feathers. Their throat is white, their breast buffy white with fine black streaks, their belly whitish, and their flanks and undertail coverts tawny. Their iris is brown to reddish brown or brownish red, their bill black (sometimes with much gray on the mandible), and their legs and feet blue-gray to dark gray. The juvenile plumage has not been described. Subspecies S. s. maculata has a slightly more rufescent back and more rufous on the wing than the nominate. Its tail is rufous except for a small amount of dusky on the innermost pair of feathers.

The necklaced spinetail has a disjunct distribution. The nominate subspecies is found in southwestern Ecuador from central Manabí Province south to western Guayas Province and Puná Island. Subspecies S. s. maculata is found from southern Loja Province in extreme southwestern Ecuador into northwestern Peru as far south as the Department of La Libertad. The species inhabits arid scrublands and the edges of deciduous forest. In elevation it occurs from near sea level to 300 m (1,000 ft) in Ecuador and 400 m (1,300 ft) in Peru.

The necklaced spinetail feeds on arthropods. It is more arboreal, rather bolder, more easily observed, and more acrobatic when feeding than most other members of genus Synallaxis. It typically forages in pairs, often as part of a mixed-species feeding flock. It gleans its prey from moss, live and dead leaves, and small branches, usually within about 1 or 2 m (3 or 7 ft) of the ground.