Canastero

Canasteros and thistletails are small passerine birds of South America belonging to the genus Asthenes. The name "canastero" comes from Spanish and means "basket-maker", referring to the large, domed nests these species make of sticks or grass. They feed on insects and other invertebrates.

Canasteros
Austral canastero (Asthenes anthoides)
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Aves
Order:	Passeriformes
Family:	Furnariidae
Genus:	Asthenes L. Reichenbach, 1853
Species
see text
Synonyms[1][2]
Schizoeaca Cabanis, 1853 Astheres Bonaparte, 1854 Oreophylax Hellmayr, 1925

Taxonomy and systematics

There are thirty species which belong to the genus Asthenes in the ovenbird family Furnariidae.[3] In 2010, it was discovered that the thistletails and the Itatiaia spinetail, formerly placed in their own genera (Schizoeaca and Oreophylax, respectively), are actually part of a rapid radiation of long-tailed Asthenes.[2] At the same time, four species, the cactus, dusky-tailed, Steinbach's and Patagonian canasteros, were split off into the new genus Pseudasthenes.[2]

Species list

• Perijá thistletail (Asthenes perijana)
• White-chinned thistletail (Asthenes fuliginosa)
• Vilcabamba thistletail (Asthenes vilcabambae)
• Ayacucho thistletail (Asthenes ayacuchensis)
• Ochre-browed thistletail (Asthenes coryi)
• Mouse-colored thistletail (Asthenes griseomurina)
• Eye-ringed thistletail (Asthenes palpebralis)
• Puna thistletail (Asthenes helleri)
• Black-throated thistletail (Asthenes harterti)
• Itatiaia spinetail (Asthenes moreirae)
• Sharp-billed canastero (Asthenes pyrrholeuca)
• Short-billed canastero (Asthenes baeri)
• Canyon canastero (Asthenes pudibunda)
• Rusty-fronted canastero (Asthenes ottonis)
• Maquis canastero (Asthenes heterura)
• Cordilleran canastero (Asthenes modesta)
• Streak-throated canastero, (Asthenes humilis)
• Rusty-vented canastero (Asthenes dorbignyi)
• Dark-winged canastero (Asthenes arequipae)
• Pale-tailed canastero (Asthenes huancavelicae)
• Berlepsch's canastero (Asthenes berlepschi)
• Cipo canastero (Asthenes luizae)
• Streak-backed canastero (Asthenes wyatti)
• Puna canastero (Asthenes sclateri)
• Austral canastero (Asthenes anthoides)
• Hudson's canastero (Asthenes hudsoni)
• Line-fronted canastero (Asthenes urubambensis)
• Many-striped canastero (Asthenes flammulata)
• Junín canastero (Asthenes virgata)
• Scribble-tailed canastero (Asthenes maculicauda)

Description

They are typically 15–18 centimetres (5.9–7.1 in) long and slim with long tails and thin, pointed bills. They are mostly dull and brown in colour but vary in tail pattern and presence of streaking. They have trilling songs.

Distribution and habitat

Most species occur in open country and scrubland in southern South America and the Andes.

References

1. Asthenes Reichenbach, 1853 . Retrieved through: Interim Register of Marine and Nonmarine Genera on 2019-08-14.
2. Derryberry, Elizabeth; Claramunt, Santiago; O’Quin, Kelly E.; Aleixo, Alexandre; Chesser, R. Terry; Remsen, J.V.; Brumfield, Robb T. (2010). "Pseudasthenes, a new genus of ovenbird (Aves: Passeriformes: Furnariidae)" (PDF). Zootaxa. 2416: 61–68. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2010-06-27. Retrieved 2011-11-22.
3. "Ovenbirds & woodcreepers « IOC World Bird List". www.worldbirdnames.org. Retrieved 2017-04-14.

• Jaramillo, Alvaro; Burke, Peter & Beadle, David (2003) Field Guide to the Birds of Chile, Christopher Helm, London
• South American Classification Committee (2007) A classification of the bird species of South America, part 6. Retrieved 17/07/07.