OVENBIRDS   -   FURNARIIDAE   -   PART I

Rufous-breasted Leaftosser Sclerurus scansor cearensis Pico Alto, Serra de Baturité, Ceará state, Brazil. Leaftossers are usually a huge pain to photograph, as they inhabit the deepest, darkest forests and like to stay hidden. There are occasional exceptions; I took some liberties with the taxonomic order to make sure this photo came first. This particular leaftosser, didn't seem to mind sitting totally out in the open and posing for a photo. This is a distinctive subspecies, likely to be elevated to full species status some day. It lacks the throat streaking of the nominate race, is brighter rufous overall, and has a somewhat different song. (D3)

Tawny-throated Leaftosser Sclerurus mexicanus bahiae Folha Seca, Ubatuba, São Paulo state, Brazil. The most widespread leaftosser, but it's not really common anywhere. It has a more curved bill than other leaftossers. (S6)

Short-billed Leaftosser Sclerurus rufigularis brunnescens Yasuní Research Station, Orellana province, Ecuador. Now we get into more typical leaftosser photos! I normally wouldn't even publish one this bad, but photos of this species are exceedingly rare, and most field guides do not illustrate leaftossers the way you actually see them in the field. Note the short bill and distinct but small tawny throat patch. (S6)

Black-tailed Leaftosser Sclerurus caudacutus brunneus Yasuní Research Station, Orellana province, Ecuador. Note the longer bill and pale throat compared to the previous photo. These two species often occur together in the Amazon region. (S6)

Scaly-throated Leaftosser Sclerurus guatemalensis guatemalensis Soberania NP, Panama province, Panama. Again, while this is a poor photo, I've still included it because there really aren't many others out there on the web. The only other one I could find was of a bird in the hand. (S2f)

Gray-throated Leaftosser Sclerurus albigularis propinquus El Dorado reserve, Santa Marta Mountains, Magdalena dept, Colombia. Yet another terrible leaftosser photo. This time I probably would have gotten a decent shot if I wasn't guiding a group, but making sure everyone saw the bird took precedence over getting the shot... (S6)

Common Miner Geositta cunicularia cunicularia Valdés Peninsula, Chubut province, Argentina. There is a lot of racial variation in this species, and it seems likely more than one species is involved. This is the nominat race, occuring in the lowlands of SE South America. It is more heavily marked below than any other race. (S6)

Slender-billed Miner Geositta tenuirostris tenuirostris Cajamarca-Celendín Road, Cajamarca department, Peru. The long, thin, decurved bill sets this bird apart from all other miners. It occurs in grassy areas of the high Andes from Ecuador to northern Argentina and northern Chile. (S6)

Short-billed Miner Geositta antarctica Northern Tierra del Fuego, Region XII, Chile. Breeds only in the exteme southern part of South America, dispersing farther north during the winter. (S5)

Puna Miner Geositta punensis Lauca National Park, Region I, Chile. A common bird of the altiplano from southern Peru to northern Chile & Argentina. (S5)

Rufous-banded Miner Geositta rufipennis rufipennis La Cuesta del Obispo, Salta province, Argentina. A locally common bird on dry, rocky slopes. It's found in the Andes of Bolivia, Argentina, and Chile, as well as the Sierra de Córdoba in central Argentina. (S5)

Campo Miner Geositta poeciloptera Serra da Canastra NP, Minas Gerais state, Brazil. This species seems to be restricted to recently-burned grasslands. It occurs very locally in SC Brazil and NE Bolivia. (D3)		Campo Miner Geositta poeciloptera Serra da Canastra NP, Minas Gerais state, Brazil. Another shot of the same bird. (D3)

Rock Earthcreeper Ochetorhynchus andaecola La Cuesta del Obispo, Salta province, Argentina. Not a particularly well-named bird - most earthcreepers like to run around on the rocks, and this particular one is clearly perched in a tree! This species occurs in the high Andes of Bolivia to northern Chile and Argentina. (S5)

Straight-billed Earthcreeper Ochetorhynchus ruficaudus ruficaudus Arica-Putre Highway, Region I, Chile. Earthcreepers are very distinctive, terrestrial birds of the southern South America. One species reaches as far north in the Andes as northern Peru. This species inhabits dry, rocky slopes from southern Peru south to central Argentina. (S5)

Crag Chilia Ochetorhynchus melanurus El Yeso, Santiago Metropolitan Region, Chile. This Chilean endemic was formerly places in it's own monotypic genus Chilia, but has since been lumped due to it's clear similarities with the earthcreepers. (S5)

Scale-throated Earthcreeper Upucerthia dumetaria hypoleuca El Infiernillo, Tucumán province, Argentina. An earthcreeper of dry, rocky areas from southern Bolivia all the way to Tierra del Fuego. (S5)

White-throated Earthcreeper Upucerthia albigula Putre, Region I, Chile. The earthcreeper with the most restricted range, occurring only in southern Peru and extreme northern Chile. It is very similar to Plain-breasted Earthcreeper, and they can be hard to tell apart except for voice. This particular bird was vocalizing and responding to playback. (S5)

Plain-breasted Earthcreeper Upucerthia jelskii pallida Lauca National Park, Region I, Chile. A distant shot - not much use for comparing to the previous shot. (S5)

Buff-breasted Earthcreeper Upucerthia validirostris La Cuesta del Obispo, Salta province, Argentina. Until recently, this species was thought to be endemic to Argentina, but it has now been found in southern Bolivia. It is extremely similar to Plain-breasted Earthcreeper U. jelskii, including vocalizations, and it could be argued that the two should be considered conspecific. (S5)

Stout-billed Cinclodes Cinclodes excelsior excelsior Reserva Ecologica Antisana, Napo province, Ecuador. This cinclodes is found only in the high Andes of Ecuador and southern Colombia. The bill is typically longer, thicker, and more decurved than that of the smaller and more common Bar-winged Cinclodes, shown below. (S3)

Buff-winged Cinclodes Cinclodes fuscus El Yeso, Santiago Metropolitan Region, Chile. The widespread Bar-winged Cinclodes, which occured from Venezuela all the way south to Tierra del Fuego, has now been split into three species. This the southernmost species, found mainly in Patagonia. It is migratory, moving north as far as southern Brazil and Paraguay during the austral winter. (S6)

Chestnut-winged Cinclodes Cinclodes albidiventris albidiventris Reserva Ecologica Antisana, Napo province, Ecuador. This is the northernmost species of the Bar-winged Cinclodes complex, occuring from Venezuela south to extreme northern Peru, with a chestnut patch in the wing. (S3)

Cream-winged Cinclodes Cinclodes albiventris albiventris Cajamarca-Celendín Road, Cajamarca department, Peru. The central species of what was formerly Bar-winged Cinclodes. It is found from northern Peru south to northern Chile and northwestern Argentina. (S6)

Long-tailed Cinclodes Cinclodes pabsti Fields east of São Francisco de Paula, Rio Grande de Sul state, Brazil. A Brazilian endemic, and the only regularly-occurring cinclodes in Brazil. Buff-winged is only a winter visitor to the far south. (D3)

Seaside Cinclodes Cinclodes nigrofumosus Concón, Region V, Chile. Endemic to Chile, restricted to rocky costs. Very similar to the Surf Cinclodes of Peru, and probably should be lumped with it. (S5)

White-winged Cinclodes Cinclodes atacamensis atacamensis Tilcara, Jujuy province, Argentina. This species is always found near fresh water, usually streams or upland bogs. (D3)

Wing-banded Hornero Furnarius figulus figulus Reserva Ecologica de Guapiassu, Rio de Janeiro state, Brazil. Endemic to Brazil, with one race in the East, the other in the Amazon. Very similar to Pale-legged Hornero F. leucopus, but has dark legs. (S6)

Pale-legged Hornero Furnarius leucopus cinnamomeus Túcume, Lambayeque department, Peru. The most widespread hornero in northern South America, though some of the isolated subspecies, such as this one, may be split in the future. (S6)

Lesser Hornero Furnarius minor Island in the Rio Napo near Sacha Lodge, Orellana province, Ecuador. Probably the shyest of all the horneros, I was lucky to get this shot. It is found exclusively on river islands of the Amazon and major tributaries. (D3)

Rufous Hornero Furnarius rufus commersoni Pousada Piuval (Pantanal lodge), Mato Grosso state, Brazil. Common and widespread through southeastern South America. (D2)

Rufous Hornero Furnarius rufus albogularis Southeast of Sumidouro, Rio de Janeiro state, Brazil. Hornero nests are instantly recognizable and a familiar sight in open areas throughout much of South America. Hornero literally means "oven-builder" in Spanish. (D3)

Crested Hornero Furnarius cristatus c. 18km NE of JV Gonzales, Salta province, Argentina. One of the smallest of the horneros, but that crest makes it super-distinctive. It is endemic to chaco region. (S5)

Curve-billed Reedhaunter Limnornis curvirostris Quinta, Rio Grande do Sul state, Brazil. A marsh-loving species found in southern Brazil, Uruguay, and Argentina. (D4)