Canastero
Encyclopedia
Canasteros are small passerine
bird
s of South America
. The name "canastero" comes from Spanish
and means "basket-maker", referring to their large, domed nest
s made of sticks or grass. They feed on insect
s and other invertebrate
s.
Asthenes in the ovenbird
family Furnariidae. In 2010 four species, the Cactus
, Dusky-tailed
, Steinbach's
and Patagonian Canastero
s, were split off into the new genus Pseudasthenes
.
. They are mostly dull and brown in colour but vary in tail pattern and presence of streaking. They have trilling song
s.
.
Passerine
A passerine is a bird of the order Passeriformes, which includes more than half of all bird species. Sometimes known as perching birds or, less accurately, as songbirds, the passerines form one of the most diverse terrestrial vertebrate orders: with over 5,000 identified species, it has roughly...
bird
Bird
Birds are feathered, winged, bipedal, endothermic , egg-laying, vertebrate animals. Around 10,000 living species and 188 families makes them the most speciose class of tetrapod vertebrates. They inhabit ecosystems across the globe, from the Arctic to the Antarctic. Extant birds range in size from...
s of South America
South America
South America is a continent situated in the Western Hemisphere, mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere. The continent is also considered a subcontinent of the Americas. It is bordered on the west by the Pacific Ocean and on the north and east...
. The name "canastero" comes from Spanish
Spanish language
Spanish , also known as Castilian , is a Romance language in the Ibero-Romance group that evolved from several languages and dialects in central-northern Iberia around the 9th century and gradually spread with the expansion of the Kingdom of Castile into central and southern Iberia during the...
and means "basket-maker", referring to their large, domed nest
Nest
A nest is a place of refuge to hold an animal's eggs or provide a place to live or raise offspring. They are usually made of some organic material such as twigs, grass, and leaves; or may simply be a depression in the ground, or a hole in a tree, rock or building...
s made of sticks or grass. They feed on insect
Insect
Insects are a class of living creatures within the arthropods that have a chitinous exoskeleton, a three-part body , three pairs of jointed legs, compound eyes, and two antennae...
s and other invertebrate
Invertebrate
An invertebrate is an animal without a backbone. The group includes 97% of all animal species – all animals except those in the chordate subphylum Vertebrata .Invertebrates form a paraphyletic group...
s.
Taxonomy
There are about 20 species which belong to the genusGenus
In biology, a genus is a low-level taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms, which is an example of definition by genus and differentia...
Asthenes in the ovenbird
Ovenbird (family)
Ovenbirds or furnariids are a large family of small suboscine passerine birds found in Mexico, and Central and South America. They form the family Furnariidae...
family Furnariidae. In 2010 four species, the Cactus
Cactus Canastero
The Cactus Canastero is a species of bird in the Furnariidae family. It is endemic to Peru. Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical high-altitude shrubland.-References:...
, Dusky-tailed
Dusky-tailed Canastero
The Dusky-tailed Canastero is a species of bird in the Furnariidae family. It is found in Argentina and Chile. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical dry shrubland and subtropical or tropical high-altitude shrubland....
, Steinbach's
Steinbach's Canastero
Steinbach's Canastero or Chestnut Canastero is a species of bird in the canastero genus Asthenes in the ovenbird family Furnariidae. It is endemic to western Argentina. Its natural habitat is steep valleys in subtropical high-altitude shrubland from 650-3000 metres above sea-level.-References:*...
and Patagonian Canastero
Patagonian Canastero
The Patagonian Canastero is a species of bird in the Furnariidae family. It is endemic to Argentina. Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical dry shrubland.-References:...
s, were split off into the new genus Pseudasthenes
Pseudasthenes
Pseudasthenes is a genus of small suboscine passerine birds, commonly known as canasteros or false canasteros, in the Ovenbird family. It was described in 2010 to accommodate four species split from the related genus Asthenes. The genus is endemic to South America.-Species:* Dusky-tailed...
.
Description
They are typically 15–18 cm long and slim with long tails and thin, pointed billsBeak
The beak, bill or rostrum is an external anatomical structure of birds which is used for eating and for grooming, manipulating objects, killing prey, fighting, probing for food, courtship and feeding young...
. They are mostly dull and brown in colour but vary in tail pattern and presence of streaking. They have trilling song
Song
In music, a song is a composition for voice or voices, performed by singing.A song may be accompanied by musical instruments, or it may be unaccompanied, as in the case of a cappella songs...
s.
Distribution and habitat
Most species occur in open country and scrubland in southern South America and the AndesAndes
The Andes is the world's longest continental mountain range. It is a continual range of highlands along the western coast of South America. This range is about long, about to wide , and of an average height of about .Along its length, the Andes is split into several ranges, which are separated...
.
Species list
- Canyon CanasteroCanyon CanasteroThe Canyon Canastero is a species of bird in the Furnariidae family. It is found in Chile and Peru. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical moist montanes and subtropical or tropical high-altitude shrubland.-References:...
, Asthenes pudibunda - Rusty-fronted CanasteroRusty-fronted CanasteroThe Rusty-fronted Canastero is a species of bird in the Furnariidae family.It is endemic to Peru.Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical moist montanes and subtropical or tropical high-altitude shrubland.-References:...
, Asthenes ottonis - Maquis CanasteroMaquis CanasteroThe Maquis Canastero or Iquico Canastero is a species of bird in the Furnariidae family.It is found in Argentina and Bolivia....
or Iquico Canastero, Asthenes heterura - Cordilleran CanasteroCordilleran CanasteroThe Cordilleran Canastero is a species of bird in the Furnariidae family.It is found in Argentina, Bolivia, Chile, and Peru.Its natural habitats are temperate grassland and subtropical or tropical high-altitude grassland....
, Asthenes modesta - Streak-throated CanasteroStreak-throated CanasteroThe Streak-throated Canastero is a species of bird in the Furnariidae family.It is found in Bolivia and Peru.Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical high-altitude grassland.-References:...
, Asthenes humilis - Streak-backed CanasteroStreak-backed CanasteroThe Streak-backed Canastero is a species of bird in the Furnariidae family.It is found in Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, and Venezuela. Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical high-altitude grassland.-References:...
, Asthenes wyatti - Puna CanasteroPuna CanasteroThe Puna Canastero is a species of bird in the Furnariidae family.It is found in Argentina, Bolivia, and Peru.Its natural habitats are temperate grassland and subtropical or tropical high-altitude grassland.-References:...
or Puno Canastero, Asthenes sclateri - Austral CanasteroAustral CanasteroThe Austral Canastero is a species of bird in the Furnariidae family, the ovenbirds.It is found in southern Argentina and northern regions of Tierra del Fuego; the range extends northwestwards into southern Chile, as a migration region in the austral winter...
, Asthenes anthoides - Hudson's CanasteroHudson's CanasteroHudson's Canastero is a species of bird in the Furnariidae family.It is found in Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay, and Uruguay....
, Asthenes hudsoni - Line-fronted CanasteroLine-fronted CanasteroThe Line-fronted Canastero is a species of bird in the Furnariidae family. It is found in Bolivia and Peru....
, Asthenes urubambensis - Many-striped CanasteroMany-striped CanasteroThe Many-striped Canastero is a species of bird in the Furnariidae family.It is found in Colombia, Ecuador, and Peru. Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical high-altitude grassland.-References:...
, Asthenes flammulata - Junín CanasteroJunín CanasteroThe Junín Canastero is a species of bird in the Furnariidae family.It is endemic to Peru.Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical high-altitude grassland.-References:...
, Asthenes virgata - Scribble-tailed CanasteroScribble-tailed CanasteroThe Scribble-tailed Canastero is a species of bird in the Furnariidae family.It is found in Argentina, Bolivia, and Peru.Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical high-altitude grassland.-References:...
, Asthenes maculicauda - Sharp-billed CanasteroSharp-billed CanasteroThe Sharp-billed Canastero or Lesser Canastero is a species of bird in the Furnariidae family, the ovenbirds....
or Lesser Canastero, Asthenes pyrrholeuca - Creamy-breasted CanasteroCreamy-breasted CanasteroThe Rusty-vented Canastero or Creamy-breasted Canastero is a species of bird in the Furnariidae family. It is found in the Andes Mountains in Peru, Chile, Bolivia, and northwestern Argentina. Its habitat is montane scrub or open Polylepis forest.The taxonomy of the Creamy-breasted Canastero is...
or Rusty-vented Canastero, Asthenes dorbignyi- Dark-winged Canastero, Asthenes (dorbignyi) arequipae
- Pale-tailed Canastero, Asthenes (dorbignyi) huancavelicae
- Berlepsch's CanasteroBerlepsch's CanasteroThe Berlepsch's Canastero is a species of bird in the Furnariidae family.It is endemic to Bolivia.Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical high-altitude shrubland and rural gardens.It is threatened by habitat loss....
, Asthenes berlepschi - Short-billed CanasteroShort-billed CanasteroThe Short-billed Canastero is a species of bird in the Furnariidae family.It is found in Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Paraguay, and Uruguay.Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical dry shrubland.-References:...
, Asthenes baeri - Cipo CanasteroCipo CanasteroThe Cipó Canastero, Asthenes luizae, is an endangered bird, endemic to the Brazilian interior. It was discovered in 1985.-External links:* *...
, Asthenes luizae