The ovenbird (Seiurus aurocapilla) is a small songbird of the New World warbler family Parulidae. It is the only species placed in the genus Seiurus. This migratory bird breeds in eastern North America and winters in Central America, many Caribbean islands, Florida and northern Venezuela.

Taxonomy

The ovenbird was formally described in 1766 by the Swedish naturalist Carl Linnaeus in the twelfth edition of his Systema Naturae under the binomial name Motacilla aurocapilla. The specific epithet combines Latin aurum meaning "gold" with -capillus meaning "-crowned". Linnaeus based his entry on "The golden-crowned thrush" that had been described and illustrated in 1758 by the English naturalist George Edwards in his book Gleanings of Natural History. Edwards had been given a specimen that had been collected on a ship off the coast of Hispanola. The ovenbird is now the only species placed in the genus Seiurus that was introduced by English zoologist William Swainson in 1827. Swainson did not specify the type species until a later publication in the same year. The genus name is from Ancient Greek σειουρος/seiouros meaning "wag-tail".

Three subspecies are recognised: but are now placed in a separate genus Parkesia as they are not closely related to the ovenbird. They weigh on average, with a range of . and a handful of records in Norway, Ireland, Romania, and Great Britain. A live ovenbird on St Mary's, Isles of Scilly in October 2004 was in bad condition, and died despite being taken into care. Ovenbirds are also regular vagrants in California.

Behaviour and ecology

Food and feeding

Ovenbirds forage on the ground in dead leaves, sometimes hovering or catching insects in flight. This bird frequently tilts its tail up and bobs its head while walking; at rest, the tail may be flicked up and slowly lowered again, and alarmed birds flick the tail frequently from a half-raised position. These birds mainly eat terrestrial arthropods and snails, and also include fruit

The ovenbird is vulnerable to nest parasitism by the brown-headed cowbird (Molothrus ater), which is becoming more plentiful in some areas. However, the ovenbirds' numbers appear to be remaining stable. Altogether, it is not considered a threatened species by the IUCN. Male ovenbirds also utter a sweet chattering song in the air at twilight, after the manner of the skylark, incorporating portions of the main song into a jumble of sputtering notes and mimicry as they dive back to earth. The call is a variably pitched, sharp "chik!" Some variations recall the common call note of a downy woodpecker. If the bird is excited, it may repeat this call several times. Robert Bly also makes reference to "the nimble oven bird" in his short poem "The Slim Fir Seeds".

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Seiurus aurocapilla.ogv|Video of male calling

Seiurus aurocapilla nest Maine 1.JPG|Nest with chicks

Seiurus aurocapilla chicks.JPG|Six-day-old chicks

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References

  • Ovenbird Species Account – Cornell Lab of Ornithology
  • Ovenbird – Seiurus aurocapillus – USGS Patuxent Bird Identification InfoCenter
  • Ovenbird info