Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, French Guiana, Peru, Suriname, Venezuela.
South-eastern Colombia (southern from western Caquetá), southern Venezuela (Amazonas, Bolívar), north-eastern Surinam and northern French Guiana south to eastern Ecuador, eastern Peru, Amazonian Brazil (western Amazonas east to Amapá, south to Acre and north-central Pará) and northern Bolivia (south to Cochabamba).
Rarity Status
Currently this species is not classified as a rarity in this country OR information has not been updated.
Population
Estimated population is unknown (2010).
Speckled Spinetail (Cranioleuca) [XC491861]
by Caio Brito from Rio Chandless,Parque Estadual Chandless,Manoel Urbano,Acre, Brazil (call, song, calls)
Speckled Spinetail (Cranioleuca) [XC693451]
by Peter Boesman from Matraca trail, Inirida, Guainia, Colombia (song)
Subspecies
No subspecies.
Relationships uncertain. Differs vocally from other species in genus as currently defined. Possible sister-species relationship to Scaled Spinetail (Cranioleuca muelleri) suggested by plumage pattern.
Proposed subspecies peruviana, from eastern Peru, described as darker above, paler and less ochraceous below (including underwing-coverts), breast spotting coarser, chin paler yellow, supercilium less pronounced. These characters considered by subsequent authors to represent individual variation, although absence of buff wash on underparts thought by some to permit diagnosis. However, even if characters do represent geographical variation specimens from central Peru seem intermediate. Further study may also demonstrate that resurrection of name hyposticta (type locality R Negro, opposite Boavista, in Brazil) for populations of north-western Amazonia is warranted. Clearly, reanalysis of variation throughout range is required, and this may indicate that one or both are valid taxa.
BirdLife International Species Factsheet