Canastero
Sign in to saveCanasteros 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 inhabit shrublands and grasslands in temperate climates from the lowlands to the highlands. They feed on insects and other invertebrates gleaned from the ground or the low vegetation.
Wikidata facts
- Instance of
- taxon
- Parent taxon
- Furnariidae
- Image
- Austral Canastero (Asthenes anthoides) from behind.jpg
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- P105
- genus
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Article
6 sectionsContents
- Taxonomy
- Species
- Description
- Distribution and habitat
- References
- Further reading
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 inhabit shrublands and grasslands in temperate climates from the lowlands to the highlands. They feed on insects and other invertebrates gleaned from the ground or the low vegetation.
== Taxonomy== The genus Asthenes was introduced in 1853 by the German naturalist Ludwig Reichenbach. The name is from Ancient Greek asthenēs meaning "insignificant". The type species was designated by George Robert Gray in 1855 as Synallaxis sordida Lesson. This taxon is now considered to be a subspecies of the sharp-billed canastero (Asthenes pyrrholeuca sordida).