Ovenbird (family)

Ovenbirds
Scaly-throated foliage-gleaner, Anabacerthia variegaticeps
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Aves
Order:	Passeriformes
Suborder:	Tyranni
Infraorder:	Tyrannides
Superfamily:	Furnarioidea
Family:	Furnariidae Gray, 1840
Subfamilies
Sclerurinae Dendrocolaptinae Furnariinae

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 not actually a furnariid – rather it is a distantly related bird of the wood warbler family, Parulidae.

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 individual 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,^[2][3] 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)^[4] based on morphology and by Irestedt et al. (2004)^[5] 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.^[6]

The taxonomic arrangement presented below is based on recent studies of ovenbird relationships.^[3][7][8] However, because ovenbirds and woodcreepers are treated here as a single family some taxonomic ranks were modified.

Subfamily: Sclerurinae – miners and leaftossers

• • Genus Geositta – miners (11 species)
  • Genus Sclerurus – leaftossers (5 species)

Subfamily: Dendrocolaptinae – woodcreepers For a complete listing of species, see the subfamily article.

• Tribe: Sittasomini – "intermediate" woodcreepers ^[3]
  • Genus Dendrocincla – woodcreepers (6 species)
  • Genus Deconychura – long-tailed woodcreeper
  • Genus Sittasomus – olivaceous woodcreeper
  • Genus Certhiasomus – spot-throated woodcreeper (recently described for Deconychura stictolaema)^[9]
• Tribe: Dendrocolaptini – "strong-billed" woodcreepers ^[3]
  • Genus Glyphorynchus – wedge-billed woodcreeper
  • Genus Nasica – long-billed woodcreeper
  • Genus Dendrexetastes – cinnamon-throated woodcreeper
  • Genus Dendrocolaptes – woodcreepers (5 species)
  • Genus Hylexetastes – woodcreepers (2–4 species)
  • Genus Xiphocolaptes – woodcreepers (4 species)
  • Genus Dendroplex – straight-billed woodcreepers (2 species, formerly in Xiphorhynchus)
  • Genus Xiphorhynchus – woodcreepers (some 15 species, possibly polyphyletic)
  • Genus Lepidocolaptes – narrow-billed woodcreepers (7 species)
  • Genus Drymornis – scimitar-billed woodcreeper
  • Genus Drymotoxeres – greater scythebill^[10]
  • Genus Campylorhamphus – scythebills (4 species)

Subfamily: Furnariinae – Neotropical ovenbirds and allies

• • Genus: Xenops – xenops (3 species)
  • Genus Berlepschia – point-tailed palmcreeper
• Tribe Pygarrhichini^[3]
  • Genus Pygarrhichas – white-throated treerunner
  • Genus Microxenops – rufous-tailed xenops^[3][11]
  • Genus Ochetorhynchus – earthcreepers (2 species formerly included in Upucerthia)
• Tribe Furnariini – horneros and allies
  • Genus Pseudocolaptes – tuftedcheeks (2 species)
  • Genus Premnornis – rusty-winged barbtail
  • Genus Tarphonomus – (new genus for 2 species formerly included in Upucerthia)^[12]
  • Genus Geocerthia – striated earthcreeper (recently described for U. serrrana)^[13]
  • Genus Upucerthia – earthcreepers (5 species)
  • Genus Cinclodes – cinclodes (some 12 species)
  • Genus Furnarius – horneros (6 species)
  • Genus Lochmias – sharp-tailed streamcreeper
  • Genus Phleocryptes – wren-like rushbird
  • Genus Limnornis – curve-billed reedhaunter^[14]

Rufous hornero (Furnarius rufus) nest, showing the entrance chamber and dividing wall to breeding chamber

• Tribe Philydorini – foliage-gleaners and allies
  • Genus Megaxenops – great xenops
  • Genus Anabazenops – foliage-gleaners (2 species)
  • Genus Ancistrops – chestnut-winged hookbill
  • Genus Cichlocolaptes – pale-browed treehunter
  • Genus Heliobletus – sharp-billed treehunter
  • Genus Philydor – foliage-gleaners (7 species)
  • Genus Anabacerthia – foliage-gleaners (5 species)
  • Genus Syndactyla – foliage-gleaners (8 species)
  • Genus Clibanornis – (2 species)
  • Genus Hylocryptus – foliage-gleaners (2 species)
  • Genus Thripadectes – treehunters (7 species)
  • Genus Automolus – foliage-gleaners (8–9 species)
• Tribe Synallaxini – spinetails and allies
  • Genus Margarornis – treerunners (4 species)
  • Genus Premnoplex – typical barbtails (2 species)
  • Genus Aphrastura – rayaditos (2 species)
  • Genus Leptasthenura – tit-spinetails (10 species)
  • Genus Pseudoseisura – cacholotes (4 species)
  • Genus Spartonoica – bay-capped wren-spinetail
  • Genus Sylviorthorhynchus – Des Murs's wiretail
  • Genus Asthenes – canasteros (27 species)
  • Genus Pseudasthenes – "false canasteros" (4 species, recently described)^[15]
  • Genus Certhiaxis – spinetails (2 species)
  • Genus Schoeniophylax – chotoy spinetail
  • Genus Synallaxis – spinetails (some 30–35 species)
  • Genus Poecilurus (3 species, usually included in Synallaxis)
  • Genus Hellmayrea – white-browed spinetail
  • Genus Cranioleuca – typical spinetails (c.20 species)
  • Genus Limnoctites – straight-billed reedhaunter (sometimes included in Limnornis, but closer to, and possibly better merged with Cranioleuca)^[14]
  • Genus Roraimia – Roraiman barbtail (formerly in the "Margarornis group")
  • Genus Thripophaga – softtails (4 species)
  • Genus Phacellodomus – thornbirds (9 species)
  • Genus Anumbius – firewood-gatherer
  • Genus Coryphistera – lark-like brushrunner
  • Genus Siptornis – spectacled prickletail
  • Genus Metopothrix – orange-fronted plushcrown
  • Genus Xenerpestes – graytails (2 species)
  • Genus Acrobatornis – pink-legged graveteiro

References

1. Willis, Edwin O. (1991). Forshaw, Joseph, ed. Encyclopaedia of Animals: Birds. London: Merehurst Press. pp. 162–163. ISBN 1-85391-186-0.
2. Irestedt, Martin; Fjeldså, Jon; Johansson, Ulf S. & Ericson, Per G.P. (2002). "Systematic relationships and biogeography of the tracheophone suboscines (Aves: Passeriformes)". Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution 23 (3): 499–512. doi:10.1016/S1055-7903(02)00034-9. PMID 12099801.
3. Moyle, R. G., R. T. Chesser, R. T. Brumfield, J. G. Tello, D. J. Marchese, & J. Cracraft (2009). "Phylogeny and phylogenetic classification of the antbirds, ovenbirds, woodcreepers, and allies (Aves: Passeriformes: infraorder Furnariides)". Cladistics 25 (4): 386–405. doi:10.1111/j.1096-0031.2009.00259.x.
4. Raikow, Robert J. (1994). "A phylogeny of the woodcreepers (Dendrocolaptinae)" (PDF). Auk 111 (1): 104–114. doi:10.2307/4088509.
5. Irestedt, Martin; Fjeldså, Jon & Ericson, Per G. P. (2004). "Phylogenetic relationships of woodcreepers (Aves: Dendrocolaptinae) – incongruence between molecular and morphological data". Journal of Avian Biology 35 (3): 280–288. doi:10.1111/j.0908-8857.2004.03234.x.
6. Fjeldså, Jon; Irestedt, Martin & Ericson, Per G. P. (2005). "Molecular data reveal some major adaptational shifts in the early evolution of the most diverse avian family, the Furnariidae" (PDF). Journal of Ornithology 146: 1–13. doi:10.1007/s10336-004-0054-5.
7. Irestedt, M., J. Fjeldså, and P. G. P. Ericson (2006). "Evolution of the ovenbird-woodcreeper assemblage (Aves: Furnariidae): major shifts in nest architecture and adaptive radiation". J. Avian Biol. 37 (3): 260–272. doi:10.1111/j.2006.0908-8857.03612.x.
8. Chesser, R. T.; Barker, F. K. and Brumfield, R. T. (2007). "Fourfold polyphyly of the genus formerly known as Upucerthia, with notes on the systematics and evolution of the avian subfamily Furnariinae". Mol. Phylogenet. Evol 44 (3): 1320–1332. doi:10.1016/j.ympev.2007.04.014. PMID 17632018.
9. 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)" (PDF). Zootaxa 2416: 44–50.
10. 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 (2): 430–439. doi:10.1525/auk.2009.09022.
11. The correct genus for former Xenops milleri
12. 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 (3): 337–339. doi:10.2988/0006-324X(2007)120[337:TANGOO]2.0.CO;2.
13. 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.
14. Olson, S. L., Irestedt, M., Ericson, P. G. P. and Fjeldså, J. (2005). "Independent evolution of two Darwinian marsh-dwelling ovenbirds (Furnariidae: Limnornis, Limnoctites)" (PDF). Ornitologia Neotropical 16: 347–359. hdl:10088/1568. delete character in |id= at position 54 (help)
15. 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)" (PDF). Zootaxa 2416: 61–68.

Further reading

• Cheviron, Z. A.; Capparella, Angelo P.; Vuilleumier, François (2005). "Molecular phylogenetic relationships among the Geositta miners (Furnariidae) and biogeographic implications for avian speciation in Fuego-Patagonia". Auk 122 (1): 158–174. doi:10.1642/0004-8038(2005)122[0158:MPRATG]2.0.CO;2.

External links

• Ovenbird videos on the Internet Bird Collection
• Ovenbird sounds in the xeno-canto collection
• A classification of the bird species of South America (Part 6) (SACC)