Canastero
| Canasteros | |
|---|---|
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| Austral canastero (Asthenes anthoides) | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Aves |
| Order: | Passeriformes |
| Family: | Furnariidae |
| Genus: |
Asthenes L. Reichenbach, 1853 |
| Species | |
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see text |
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| Synonyms | |
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see text
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.
There are thirty species which belong to the genus Asthenes in the ovenbird family Furnariidae. 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. At the same time, four species, the cactus, dusky-tailed, Steinbach's and Patagonian canasteros, were split off into the new genus Pseudasthenes.
They are typically 15–18 cm 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.
Most species occur in open country and scrubland in southern South America and the Andes.
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Wikipedia