Synallaxis is a genus of birds in the ovenbird family, Furnariidae. It is one of the most diverse genera in the family and is composed of small birds that inhabit dense undergrowth across tropical and subtropical habitats in the Neotropical region. Some species show contrasting plumage patterns involving rufous crown and wing patches and black throat patches but they are difficult to see as they keep ensconced in vegetation most of the time. Most species show the long graduated tail with pointy feathers that is typical of spinetails. They are also characterized by constructing large domed nests with stick, including a long entrance tube. Some species can be difficult to distinguish from one another on the basis of their plumage, but can be told apart by their vocalizations, which can be quite distinctive.[1]

Synallaxis
Rufous spinetail (Synallaxis unirufa)
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Aves
Order: Passeriformes
Family: Furnariidae
Genus: Synallaxis
Vieillot, 1818
Type species
Synallaxis ruficapilla
Vieillot, 1819
Species

see list

Taxonomy edit

 
Synallaxis albescens

The genus Synallaxis was introduced in 1818 by the French ornithologist Louis Pierre Vieillot.[2] The name is from the Ancient Greek sunallaxis meaning "exchange".[3] Vieillot did not specify a type species but in 1840 George Gray designated the rufous-capped spinetail.[4][5]

The genus contains 37 species:[6]

Formerly, some authorities also considered the following species as species within the genus Synallaxis:

References edit

  1. ^ Hilty, Steven L.; Ascanio, David (2009). "A New Species of Spinetail (Furnariidae:Synallaxis) from the Río Orinoco of Venezuela". The Auk. 126 (3): 485–492. doi:10.1525/auk.2009.08036. S2CID 84059408.
  2. ^ Vieillot, Louis Pierre (1818). Nouveau dictionnaire d'histoire naturelle, appliquée aux arts, à l'agriculture, à l'économie rurale et domestique, à la médecine, etc (in French). Vol. 24 (Nouvelle édition ed.). Paris: Deterville. p. 117.
  3. ^ Jobling, James A. (2010). The Helm Dictionary of Scientific Bird Names. London: Christopher Helm. p. 376. ISBN 978-1-4081-2501-4.
  4. ^ Gray, George Robert (1840). A List of the Genera of Birds : with an Indication of the Typical Species of Each Genus. London: R. and J.E. Taylor. p. 17.
  5. ^ Peters, James Lee, ed. (1951). Check-List of Birds of the World. Vol. 7. Cambridge, Massachusetts: Museum of Comparative Zoology. p. 80.
  6. ^ Gill, Frank; Donsker, David; Rasmussen, Pamela, eds. (July 2023). "Ovenbirds, woodcreepers". IOC World Bird List Version 13.2. International Ornithologists' Union. Retrieved 6 August 2023.
  7. ^ "Hellmayrea gularis - Avibase". avibase.bsc-eoc.org. Retrieved 2017-04-15.
  8. ^ Derryberry, Elizabeth P.; Claramunt, Santiago; Derryberry, Graham; Chesser, R. Terry; Cracraft, Joel; Aleixo, Alexandre; Pérez-Emán, Jorge; Remsen Jr., J. V.; Brumfield, Robb T. (2011). "Lineage diversification and morphological evolution in a large-scale continental radiation: the Neotropical ovenbirds and woodcreepers (Aves: Furnariidae)". Evolution. 65 (10): 2973–2986. doi:10.1111/j.1558-5646.2011.01374.x. ISSN 0014-3820. PMID 21967436.
  9. ^ Claramunt, Santiago (2014). "Phylogenetic relationships among Synallaxini spinetails (Aves: Furnariidae) reveal a new biogeographic pattern across the Amazon and Paraná river basins". Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution. 78: 223–231. doi:10.1016/j.ympev.2014.05.011. PMID 24867462.

External links edit