The Story
I photographed this Yellow-chinned Spinetail (Certhiaxis cinnamomeus) at the Charca de Guarinocito, near La Dorada, Caldas, Colombia, in October 2020. It is found from Trinidad and Colombia south to Argentina and Uruguay, as a common resident of marshes and the edges of mangrove swamps. It feeds on insects and spiders, keeping low and often in the open. It builds a large, round stick nest low in marsh plants, with a tube-like entrance that rises almost straight up from the base. The Striped Cuckoo sometimes lays its eggs in that nest. IUCN lists it as Least Concern.
I made this frame with a Pentax K-1 and the HD Pentax-D FA 150-450mm f/4.5-5.6, at 1/320 sec, f/5.6, ISO 400. The Charca de Guarinocito is an old oxbow of the Magdalena River that stays connected to the river all year.
©2021 Adam Rainoff Photographer
The bird
The Yellow-chinned Spinetail (Certhiaxis cinnamomeus) belongs to the family Furnariidae (Ovenbirds and Woodcreepers) in the eBird/Clements taxonomy.
Source: eBird.org (opens in a new tab)
Conservation
Least Concern on the IUCN Red List (assessment published 2025). Source: IUCN Red List