Des Murs's wiretail | |
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Scientific classification | |
Domain: | Eukaryota |
Kingdom: | Animalia |
Phylum: | Chordata |
Class: | Aves |
Order: | Passeriformes |
Family: | Furnariidae |
Genus: | Sylviorthorhynchus |
Species: | S. desmurii |
Binomial name | |
Sylviorthorhynchus desmurii Gay, 1845 | |
Des Murs's wiretail (Sylviorthorhynchus desmurii) is a small passerine bird of southern South America which belongs to the ovenbird family Furnariidae. Molecular phylogenetics places it within the Synallaxinae and indicates that the genus diverged from the Leptasthenura about 14-15 million years ago. [2]
Des Murs's wiretail was illustrated and given the binomial name Sylviorthorhynchus desmurii by the French naturalist Claude Gay in 1845. [3] [4] [5] The specific epithet was chosen to honour the French ornithologist Marc Athanase Parfait Œillet des Murs. [6] The species is monotypic: no subspecies are recognised. [7]
It is 24 centimetres (9.4 in) long, with the very long tail accounting for about two-thirds of this, but weighs as little as 10 grams (0.35 oz). [8] The tail consists of just six feathers which are very narrow and filament-like: so few rectrices are elsewhere seen only in the emu-wrens of Australia. [9] The two central feathers are greatly elongated while the two outer feathers are very short. The plain plumage is reddish-brown above, paler on the underparts. There is a pale stripe above the eye. The bird is small and rounded with a very fine bill. The song is fast and high-pitched.
It is found in western Argentina from Santa Cruz Province north to San Juan and in southern and central Chile from northern Magallanes to Valparaíso Region. It inhabits dense thickets of Chusquea bamboo within cool temperate rainforests, occurring from sea-level up to 1,200 metres, but also can occur in early-successional shrublands of highly shade-tolerant Myrtaceae species, chiefly Amomyrtus . [10] Des Murs's wiretail is also known to occur in dense weedy thickets of plants like gorse over the northern extremity of its range. [10] Even in undisturbed rainforests, however, wiretails use only the low-level shrub and bamboo layer for foraging, never flying higher than 3 metres (10 ft) above the ground.
It is very shy and difficult to see, being completely unable to enter areas without dense vegetative overstoreys, [11] and cannot typically use corridors smaller than 25 m (80 ft) or fly further than 50 m (160 ft) between patches of suitable habitat. [12]
When encountered Des Murs's wiretail can easily be mistaken for a mouse. It has the unique ability among birds to curl up its long tail into a ball when alarmed. [8]
The ball-shaped nest is made of plant fibres and built amongst vegetation close to the ground. Both partners are highly territorial with a territory size of around 1 ha (2.5 acres) per pair; however, pairs in territories smaller than 20 ha (49 acres) are seldom successful at nesting. [10] This territory and the nest site are defended vigorously against conspecifics with a distinctive territorial song, [12] and it is possible that the long tail is used by both sexes as an means of choosing a mate, [13] though no actual tests have been used to determine how wiretails find a mate.
As is typical for south temperate insectivorous birds, during the breeding season of October to February Des Murs's wiretail lays a clutch of two to four eggs, [12] but for the bird's mass these are about the largest eggs of any passerine bird. At 20.5 mm (0.8 in) long and 15.8 mm (0.6 in) wide, [8] they weigh twice as much as expected for a 10 gram passerine [14] and a clutch of four weighs more than the adult female - a feat equalled only by much more fecund kinglets. Little is known about incubation, fledging periods, or postfledging parental care due to the very secretive nature of the species.
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 315 species and 70 genera. The ovenbird, which breeds in North America, is not a furnariid – rather it is a distantly related bird of the wood warbler family, Parulidae.
The woodcreepers (Dendrocolaptinae) comprise a subfamily of suboscine passerine birds endemic to the Neotropics. They have traditionally been considered a distinct family Dendrocolaptidae, but most authorities now place them as a subfamily of the ovenbirds (Furnariidae). They superficially resemble the Old World treecreepers, but they are unrelated and the similarities are due to convergent evolution. The subfamily contains 63 species in 16 genera.
The tuftedcheeks are a genus, Pseudocolaptes, of passerine birds in the ovenbird family Furnariidae. They are found in the mountains of the tropical New World from Costa Rica to Bolivia.
The slaty spinetail or slaty castlebuilder,, is a passerine bird in the Furnariinae subfamily of the ovenbird family Furnariidae. It is found from Honduras south to Peru.
The rufous hornero is a medium-sized ovenbird in the family Furnariidae. It occurs in eastern South America and is the national bird of Argentina. Also known as the red ovenbird, it is common in savannas, second-growth scrub, pastures, and agricultural land and is synanthropic. Its range includes midwestern, southeastern, and southern Brazil, Bolivia, Paraguay, Uruguay, and northern and central Argentina, extending as far south as northern Patagonia. The species is most closely related to the crested hornero of Paraguay and Argentina. There are four accepted subspecies.
The common miner is a passerine bird in the subfamily Sclerurinae, the leaftossers and miners, of the ovenbird family Furnariidae. It is found in Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Peru, and Uruguay.
Tit-spinetails are small passerine birds of the genus Leptasthenura, belonging to the ovenbird family Furnariidae. They are found in South America, particularly the southern and Andean parts of the continent. They are somewhat similar to birds of the tit family in their shape and feeding behaviour, hence the first part of their name. The "spinetail" part of their name refers to their long, pointed tail feathers. Tit-spinetails have short rounded wings, short pointed bills and are mainly brown in colour. Their nests are built in holes or in the old nests of other birds.
The thorn-tailed rayadito is a species of bird in the family Furnariidae. It is found in temperate forests and subtropical dry shrubland south of 30°S. Some sources suggest it may formerly have occurred in the Falkland Islands. It remains the commonest and best-known native bird in temperate forests of Zona Austral and Zona Sur in Chile, often occurring at densities of well over one individual per hectare.
The Chilean seaside cinclodes or simply seaside cinclodes is a species of bird in the Furnariinae subfamily of the ovenbird family Furnariidae. It is endemic to Chile.
The dark-bellied cinclodes is a species of bird in the Furnariinae subfamily of the ovenbird family Furnariidae. It is found in Argentina and Chile.
The Peruvian seaside cinclodes or surf cinclodes is a species of bird in the Furnariinae subfamily of the ovenbird family Furnariidae. It is endemic to Peru.
The short-billed miner is a species of bird in the subfamily Sclerurinae, the leaftossers and miners, of the ovenbird family Furnariidae. It is found in Argentina and Chile.
The striolated tit-spinetail is a species of bird in the Furnariinae subfamily of the ovenbird family Furnariidae. It is endemic to Brazil.
The tawny tit-spinetail is a species of bird in the Furnariinae subfamily of the ovenbird family Furnariidae. It is found in Argentina, Bolivia, and Peru.
Sylviorthorhynchus is a genus of small passerine birds belonging to the ovenbird family Furnariidae. They are somewhat similar to birds of the tit family in their shape and feeding behaviour. They have short rounded wings, short pointed bills and are mainly brown in colour. Their nests are built in holes or in the old nests of other birds.
The white-throated treerunner is a species of bird in the family Furnariidae. It is the only species in the genus Pygarrhichas. The white-throated treerunner is about 15 cm (5.9 in) long, with a stiff and rounded tail. The upperparts are dark brown, turning red on the lower back and tail and contrasting sharply with the throat and chest of a bright white. The rest of the underparts are coarsely mottled with white. The bill is long, slightly curved upwards. The general appearance is reminiscent of a nuthatch, although they are not directly related. Like the Sittidae, Furnariidae tirelessly scours the trunks and branches of old trees for the small arthropods that make up its food, spiraling up the trunks, or sometimes moving head down. The white-throated treerunner consumes small invertebrates found on bark and nests in tree cavities. Outside of the breeding season, it may form mixed-species foraging flocks with other bird species.
The chucao tapaculo is a species of bird in the family Rhinocryptidae. It is found in central Chile and adjacent Argentina; it has also been recorded in Chile's Magallanes Province.
The dusky spinetail is a species of bird in the Furnariinae subfamily of the ovenbird family Furnariidae. It is found in Colombia, Ecuador, and Peru.
Spix's spinetail, previously known as the chicli spinetail, is a species of bird in the Furnariinae subfamily of the ovenbird family Furnariidae. It is found in Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay, and Uruguay.
The flammulated treehunter is a species of bird in the Furnariinae subfamily of the ovenbird family Furnariidae. It is found in Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, and Venezuela.