Ovenbirds or furnariids are a large family of small suboscine passerine birds found from Mexico and Central to southern South America. They form the family Furnariidae. This is a large family containing around 321 species and 71 genera. The ovenbird (Seiurus aurocapilla), which breeds in North America, is not a furnariid – rather it is a distantly related bird of the wood warbler family, Parulidae.

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 15 to 22 days, and the young fledge after a further 13 to 20 days.

They are small to medium-sized birds, ranging from 9 to 35 cm in length. The species numbers are from the list maintained by the International Ornithologists' Union (IOC).

The phylogeny of the Furnariidae is now well understood thanks to multiple analyses of nuclear and mitochondrial DNA. Among other discoveries, the classification of several genera had to be revised. The taxonomic arrangement presented below is based on molecular genetic studies of ovenbird relationships.

  • Genus Ochetorhynchus – earthcreepers (4 species formerly included in Upucerthia)
  • Tribe Furnariini – horneros and allies
  • Genus Pseudocolaptes – tuftedcheeks (3 species)
  • Genus Premnornis – rusty-winged barbtail
  • Genus Tarphonomus – earthcreepers (genus introduced in 2007 for 2 species formerly included in Upucerthia)
  • Genus Thripadectes – treehunters (7 species)
  • Genus Automolus – foliage-gleaners (11 species)
  • Tribe Synallaxini – spinetails<!--intentional link to DAB page--> and allies
  • Genus Margarornis – treerunners (4 species)
  • Genus Premnoplex – typical barbtails (2 species)
  • Genus Aphrastura – rayaditos (3 species)
  • Genus Hellmayrea – white-browed spinetail
  • Genus Sylviorthorhynchus – (2 species)
  • Genus Leptasthenura – tit-spinetails (9 species)
  • Genus Phacellodomus – thornbirds (10 species)
  • Genus Anumbius – firewood-gatherer
  • Genus Coryphistera – lark-like brushrunner
  • Genus Pseudoseisura – cacholotes (4 species)
  • Genus Pseudasthenes – false canasteros The tawny tit-spinetail (Leptasthenura yanacencis) has been moved to the genus Sylviorthorhynchus, the sulphur-bearded spinetail (Cranioleuca sulphurifera) has been moved to the genus Limnoctites and its English name changed to the sulphur-bearded reedhaunter, and the white-bellied spinetail (Synallaxis propinqua) has been placed in the monotypic genus Mazaria.
  • †Pseudoseisuropsis cuelloi Claramunt & Rinderknecht 2005, late Pleistocene of Uruguay.
  • †Pseudoseisuropsis wintu Stefanini et al. 2016, Early Pleistocene of Argentina.
  • †Cinclodes major Toni 1977, Pleistocene of Argentina.
  • †Pseudoseisura cursor Toni & Noriega, 2001, Pleistocene of Argentina.

References

Further reading

  • 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)