Canasteros and thistletails are the small passerine birds of South America belonging to the genus Asthenes. is Spanish for , 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 . 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).
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.
Species The genus contains 29 species:
Image Scientific name Common name Distribution Pale-tailed canastero Asthenes huancavelicae Peru Dark-winged canastero Asthenes arequipae Puna grassland Rusty-vented canastero Asthenes dorbignyi southern Peru Berlepsch's canastero Asthenes berlepschi western Bolivia Short-billed canastero Asthenes baeri Argentina, western Paraguay and Uruguay Cipo canastero Asthenes luizae Serra do Cipó Hudson's canastero Asthenes hudsoni Argentina and Uruguay Austral canastero Asthenes anthoides western Patagonia and Los Lagos Region Line-fronted canastero Asthenes urubambensis Peru and Bolivia Many-striped canastero Asthenes flammulata northern Andes Junin canastero Asthenes virgata central Peru Scribble-tailed canastero Asthenes maculicauda central Andes Streak-backed canastero Asthenes wyatti Ecuador, Puna grassland and Sierras de Córdoba Streak-throated canastero Asthenes humilis Puna grassland Cordilleran canastero Asthenes modesta Puna grassland, Patagonia and Sierras de Córdoba Itatiaia spinetail Asthenes moreirae Itatiaia National Park and nearby massifs Sharp-billed canastero Asthenes pyrrholeuca southern Cone Black-throated thistletail Asthenes harterti Bolivian Andes Puna thistletail Asthenes helleri southeastern Peru - Vilcabamba thistletail Asthenes vilcabambae central Peru Ayacucho thistletail Asthenes ayacuchensis central Peru Canyon canastero Asthenes pudibunda Peru Rusty-fronted canastero Asthenes ottonis Bolivia and northern Argentina Maquis canastero Asthenes heterura Puna grassland Eye-ringed thistletail Asthenes palpebralis central Peru - Ochre-browed thistletail Asthenes coryi Cordillera de Merida Perija thistletail Asthenes perijana Serranía del Perijá White-chinned thistletail Asthenes fuliginosa northern Andes Mouse-colored thistletail Asthenes griseomurina southern Ecuador and northern Peru
Description They are typically 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.
Distribution and habitat Most species occur in open country, including mesic to arid scrublands and grasslands. Some species inhabit dry forests. Only three species are migratory.
References
Further reading Jaramillo, Alvaro; Burke, Peter & Beadle, David (2003) Field Guide to the Birds of Chile, Christopher Helm, London South American Classification Committee (2007) A classification of the bird species of South America, part 6. Retrieved 17/07/07.