Order
Passeriformes
Family
Furnariidae
Genus
Synallaxis
 
Neotropical Birds logo
Version 1.0

This is a historic version of this account.  Current version

SPECIES

Russet-bellied Spinetail Synallaxis zimmeri

Huw Lloyd
Version: 1.0 — Published January 14, 2009

Conservation

Within its narrow range, the habitat-restricted Russet-bellied Spinetail is usually considered to be ‘fairly common locally’ (e.g. Fjeldså and Krabbe 1990, Schulenberg et al. 2007). However no quantitative data exist regarding population densities per unit area of habitat. Confined to a very narrow range within the Peruvian High Andes EBA 051 (Stattersfield et al. 1998), the Russet-bellied Spinetail is currently listed as ‘Endangered’ by BirdLife International (2008) and as ‘Medium Conservation Priority’ by Parker et al. (1996). The total global population is estimated at between 1,000-2,500 individuals (BirdLife International 2008) and believed to be declining since all known populations are vulnerable to ongoing habitat loss. The absence of conservation action for any of the known populations which all occur outside the Peruvian national protected area network, means that there is no evidence to suggest that the conservation status of the species will improve in the short-term future.

Effects of human activity on populations

Few quantitative data exist, but scrub habitat quality is being severely degraded and fragmented by livestock grazing (Remsen 2003), in particular by cattle and goats. Loss of scrub habitat through firewood collection is another threat but not for all populations (Begazo et al. 2001). Arid montane scrub is being cleared for agriculture, particularly for local fruit production, and this is a significant problem for the Sinsicap population. The clearing of understory vegetation at all known sites also leads to subsequent soil erosion (Remsen 2003).

Recommended Citation

Lloyd, H. (2009). Russet-bellied Spinetail (Synallaxis zimmeri), version 1.0. In Neotropical Birds Online (T. S. Schulenberg, Editor). Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Ithaca, NY, USA. https://doi.org/10.2173/nb.rubspi3.01