Sclerurus
| Sclerurus | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Dusky leaftosser in Ecuador Sclerurus obscurior | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Aves |
| Order: | Passeriformes |
| Family: | Furnariidae |
| Genus: | Sclerurus Swainson, 1827 |
| Type species | |
| Thamnophilus caudacutus Vieillot, 1816 | |
Sclerurus is a bird genus in the ovenbird family, Furnariidae. Members of this genus are commonly known as leaftossers or leafscrapers, and are found in Mexico, Central America and South America. They are close relatives of the miners (Geositta), which are essentially an open-country version of the leaftossers, being lighter in color and longer-legged. Other relatives might include the sharp-tailed streamcreeper of the monotypic genus Lochmias and some other Furnariidae of obscure relationships.
Taxonomy
[edit]The genus Sclerurus was introduced in 1827 by the English zoologist William Swainson.[1] The genus name combines the Ancient Greek σκληρος/sklēros meaning "stiff" with ουρα/oura meaning "tail".[2] Swainson did not specify a type species but in 1855 the English zoologist George Gray designated the type as Thamnophilus caudacutus Vieillot, 1816, the black-tailed leaftosser.[3][4]
Species
[edit]The genus contains seven species:[5]
| Image | Scientific name | Common name | Distribution |
|---|---|---|---|
_(5771861551).jpg) | Sclerurus mexicanus | Tawny-throated leaftosser, also known as the Mexican or Middle American leaftosser | Southern Mexico to western Panama |
| Sclerurus obscurior | Dusky leaftosser | eastern Panama to eastern Brazil |
 | Sclerurus rufigularis | Short-billed leaftosser | Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, French Guiana, Guyana, Peru, Suriname, and Venezuela. |
 | Sclerurus guatemalensis | Scaly-throated leaftosser | Belize, Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, Nicaragua, and Panama. |
 | Sclerurus caudacutus | Black-tailed leaftosser | Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, French Guiana, Guyana, Peru, Suriname, and Venezuela. |
.jpg) | Sclerurus albigularis | Grey-throated leaftosser | Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Panama, Peru, Trinidad and Tobago, and Venezuela. |
 | Sclerurus scansor | Rufous-breasted leaftosser | Brazil and eastern Paraguay. |
References
[edit]- ↑ Swainson, William (1827). "On several groups and forms in ornithology, not hitherto defined". Zoological Journal. 3: 158–175, 343–363 [356].
- ↑ Jobling, James A. "Sclerurus". The Key to Scientific Names. Cornell Lab of Ornithology. Retrieved 11 April 2025.
- ↑ Gray, George Robert (1855). Catalogue of the Genera and Subgenera of Birds Contained in the British Museum. London: British Museum. p. 42.
- ↑ Dickinson, E.C.; Christidis, L., eds. (2014). The Howard & Moore Complete Checklist of the Birds of the World (PDF). Vol. 2: Passerines (4th ed.). Eastbourne, UK: Aves Press. p. 106. ISBN 978-0-9568611-2-2.
- ↑ AviList Core Team (2025). "AviList: The Global Avian Checklist, v2025". doi:10.2173/avilist.v2025. Retrieved 11 April 2026.
External links
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