Thorn-tailed Rayadito

Aphrastura spinicauda (Gmelin, JF, 1789)

Thorn-tailed Rayadito, Aphrastura spinicauda, is a passerine of the Furnariidae found in central and southern Chile and south-west Argentina. It lives in temperate forest and subtropical dry shrubland, and in Chile it is the most familiar native bird of the southern forest zones. Its chief field mark is the long thorn-like tail with twelve spiny feathers. The species was first described in 1789 by Gmelin. Four subspecies are recognised, including forms from Mocha Island, Chiloé Island and the Diego Ramírez Islands, alongside the mainland race.

Order

Passeriformes

Family

Furnariidae — Ovenbirds

Breeding range

South America: c, s Chile and sw Argentina