The pallid spinetail (Cranioleuca pallida) is a species of bird in the Furnariinae subfamily of the ovenbird family Furnariidae.

Their forehead is streaked blackish and buff, their crown is dark rufous, and their nape gray.

Their tail is dark rufous; the feathers are graduated and lack barbs at the end giving a spiky appearance.

Juveniles have a darker back than adults, with a brown crown, ochraceous-tinged underparts, and variable dark mottling on the breast.

It acrobatically gleans prey from vines, dead leaves, bark, trapped debris, fruit, and flowers.

Its nest is a globe of lichen and moss with a side entrance, typically placed on a tree branch against the trunk or atop a clump of epiphytes.

The clutch size, incubation period, time to fledging, and details of parental care are not known.