Ovenbird (family)

Ovenbirds
Scaly-throated Foliage-gleaner, Anabacerthia variegaticeps
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Aves
Subclass: Neornithes
Infraclass: Neognathae
Superorder: Neoaves
Order: Passeriformes
Suborder: Tyranni
Infraorder: Tyrannides
Superfamily: Furnarioidea
Family: Furnariidae
Subfamilies

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. The Ovenbird (Seiurus aurocapillus), which breeds in North America, is a distantly related bird, a wood warbler (family Parulidae).

Contents

Description

The ovenbirds are a diverse group of insectivores which get their name from the elaborate, vaguely "oven-like" clay nests built by the horneros, although most other ovenbirds build stick nests or nest in tunnels or clefts in rock. The Spanish word for "oven" (horno) gives the horneros their name. Furnariid nests are always constructed with a cover, and up to six pale blue, greenish or white eggs are laid. The eggs hatch after between 15 and 22 days, and the young fledge after a further 13 to 20 days.[1]

They are small to medium-sized birds, ranging from 9 to 35 centimetres in length.[1] While individial species often are habitat specialists, species of this family can be found in virtually any Neotropical habitat, ranging from city parks inhabited by Rufous Horneros, to tropical Amazonian lowlands by many species of Foliage-gleaners, to temperate barren Andean highlands inhabited by several species of miners. There are even two species, the Seaside and the Surf Cinclodes, which are associated with rocky coasts.

Systematics

Recently, the woodcreepers (formerly Dendrocolaptidae) were merged into this family, following analysis of mtDNA cytochrome b and several nDNA sequences (Irestedt et al. 2002). Moyle et al. (2009), while confirming the overall phylogenetic pattern, instead opted for maintaining the woodcreepers as a separate family, while splitting the ovenbirds (as traditionally defined) into two families, Furnariidae and Scleruridae.

The systematics of the Dendrocolaptinae were reviewed by Raikow (1994) based on morphology and by Irestedt et al. (2004) based on analysis of nuclear and mitochondrial DNA. Using the latter approach, the suspected major lineages of the Furnariinae (foliage-gleaners, spinetails, and true ovenbirds) were confirmed, but some new lineages were discovered and the relationships of several genera had to be revised (Fjeldså et al., 2005).

The taxonomic arrangement presented below is based on recent studies of ovenbird relationships (Irestedt et al. 2006, Chesser et al. 2007, Moyle et al. 2009). However, because ovenbirds and woodcreepers are treated here as a single family some taxonomic ranks were modified.

Subfamily: Sclerurinae - Miners and leaftossers

Subfamily: Dendrocolaptinae - Woodcreepers For a complete listing of species, see the subfamily article.

Subfamily: Furnariinae - Neotropical ovenbirds and allies

References

  1. ^ a b Willis, Edwin O. (1991). Forshaw, Joseph. ed. Encyclopaedia of Animals: Birds. London: Merehurst Press. pp. 162–163. ISBN 1-85391-186-0. 
  2. ^ a b c ranked as a subfamily in Moyle et al. (2009)
  3. ^ Derryberry, E., S. Claramunt, R. T. Chesser, A. Aleixo, J. Cracraft, R. G. Moyle & R. T. Brumfield. 2010. Certhiasomus, a new genus of woodcreeper (Aves: Passeriformes: Dendrocolaptidae). Zootaxa 2416:44-50.
  4. ^ Claramunt, S., E. P. Derryberry, R. T. Chesser, A. Aleixo & R. T. Brumfield. 2010. Polyphyly of Campylorhamphus with the description of a new genus for C. pucherani. Auk 127: 430-439.
  5. ^ the correct genus for former Xenops milleri (Moyle et al. 2009)
  6. ^ Chesser, R. T. & R. T. Brumfield. 2007. Tarphonomus, a new genus of ovenbird (Aves: Passeriformes: Furnariidae) from South America. Proceedings of the Biological Society of Washington, 120, 337–339.
  7. ^ Chesser, R. T., S. Claramunt, E. P. Derryberry, & R. T. Brumfield. 2009. Geocerthia, a new genus of terrestrial ovenbird (Aves: Passeriformes: Furnariidae). Zootaxa 2213: 64–68.
  8. ^ a b see Olson et al. (2005)
  9. ^ Derryberry, E., S. Claramunt, K. E. O’Quin, A. Aleixo, R. T. Chesser, J. V. Remsen, Jr., and R. T. Brumfield. 2010. Pseudasthenes, a new genus of ovenbird (Aves: Passeriformes: Furnariidae). Zootaxa 2416:61-68.

External links