White-whiskered Spinetail Synallaxis candei Scientific name definitions

The combination of black cap, black face mask, and white ‘whiskers’ and chin framing a black throat render the White-whiskered Spinetail one of the most striking and aberrant of the Synallaxis spinetails. This species inhabitats the tropical deciduous forests and arid lowland scrub that straddle the northern portion of the Colombian-Venezuelan border; the columnar cacti and thorny scrub of this habitat is a departure from the typical humid habitats that most species of Synallaxis inhabitat. The three subspecies of the White-whiskered Spinetail form a rough gradient from west to east in size of black throat, extent of white whiskers and rufous supercilium, with the westernmost populations having the darkest head, and the easternmost populations having the largest white throat patches.