Canyon Canastero

About the Canyon Canastero

The canyon canastero (Asthenes pudibunda) is a species of bird in the Furnariinae subfamily of the ovenbird family Furnariidae. It is found in Peru and far-northern Chile. The canyon canastero has three subspecies, the nominate A. p. pudibunda (Sclater, 1874), A. p. neglecta (Cory, 1916), and A. p. grisior (Koepcke, M., 1961). Some authors have treated the rusty-fronted canastero (A. ottonis) and maquis canastero (A. heterura) as subspecies of the canyon canastero and others have treated the three as a superspecies. However, genetic data show that the canyon canastero is most closely related to the Vilcabamba thistletail (A. vilcabambae).

The canyon canastero is 15 to 17 cm (5.9 to 6.7 in) long and weighs 13 to 17 g (0.46 to 0.60 oz). The sexes have the same plumage. Adults of the nominate subspecies have a thin buff supercilium and dark brownish lores on an otherwise gray-brown face. Their crown is warm dark brown and their back and rump a slightly paler brown. Their wings are dull reddish brown. Their uppertail coverts are chestnut-rufous and their tail a more rufous brown than the back. Their chin and upper throat are pale tawny-orange... Wikipedia →