Description: Spinetail measuring 15–16 cm with a very long, graduated tail. Bill short, thick, and pointed. Overall coloration grayish-brown to sandy brown. Short, faint white supercilium. Tail dark with pale edges on the outer rectrices, deeply notched, giving a forked appearance. Throat whitish; chest and belly grayish to beige, sometimes with slight cinnamon tone. Wings with a cinnamon to rufous panel, more evident in flight. Sexes similar.

Subspecies (in Argentina): pallida (south) characterized by a generally paler, more grayish tone, proportionally longer tail, paler belly, and reduced cinnamon wing panel. berlepschi (north) larger, with slight crest, rufous-cinnamon crown with fine dark mottling, underparts pale ochraceous, and more contrasting wing panel. Vocally more distinctive.

Distribution: Widely distributed species in western and southern South America, present in Chile, Peru, Bolivia, and Argentina. In Argentina represented by two well-defined subspecies. L. a. pallida inhabits Patagonia and arid regions of central and western Argentina, from La Rioja south to Santa Cruz, with winter movements toward central and northern Argentina. L. a. berlepschi inhabits northwestern Argentina, from Jujuy and Salta through Tucumán to Catamarca, associated with high Andean and prepuna environments. Resident, with altitudinal and seasonal movements depending on the subspecies.

Habitat: pallida inhabits Patagonian shrublands, shrubby steppes, Monte and dry scrub, also open areas of central Argentina in winter. Occurs from sea level up to 800 m, with occasional higher ascents. Berlepschi associated with shrubby ravines, cardón cactus areas, prepuna, and Altiplano. Frequent in open habitats with scattered shrubs, rocky slopes, cactus areas, and vegetation edges, between 1,800 and 4,200 m.

Behavior: Very active and restless, constantly moving among branches and shrubs, acrobatically hanging, even upside down, using the tail as support. Seen alone or in pairs, sometimes in small groups and mixed flocks with other furnariids and small tyrant flycatchers. Confiding and curious. Voice consists of sharp, rapid trills, dry buzzing chatter. In berlepschi, song is simpler, higher-pitched, and insect-like, distinctive from other populations.

Diet: Insectivorous. Feeds mainly on arthropods actively captured on branches, foliage, and low shrubs, occasionally on the ground. Forages constantly and rapidly.

Breeding: Builds a cup-shaped nest of grasses, hair, and feathers, placed in tree cavities, rock crevices, cliffs, embankments, and occasionally in human structures or abandoned nests of other birds. Lays 2 to 4 white eggs. Both adults participate in incubation and feeding of the chicks.

Conservation status: Not threatened at national or global level. Very common across its range.


Author of this compilation: Diego Carus and María Belén Dri – 03/04/2026