Ovenbirds & Woodcreepers

One of the three mega-diverse families of Neotropical passerines, Furnariidae contains morphologically diverse species that occupy nearly all habitats in this region. With tails and bills adapted to nearly every insectivorous foraging niche, they are denizens of coastal rocks and Andean fell fields, and all forested habitats in between. They run on the ground and along branches, climb tree trunks, and burrow in the ground. The remarkable morphological diversity of the furnariids is paralleled by the greatest diversity of nest types of any bird family and a broad dietary array. Their plumage may be the one aspect that allows some generalization, and an alliterative aid to their recognition may be that the common names of many include the terms rufous, rusty, ruddy, or russet (and many are fulvous or fuscous).