Asthenes hudsoni
A small to medium-sized (16-17 cm, 18-24 g) ovenbird, Hudson's Canastero (*Asthenes hudsoni*) is a slender, long-tailed denizen of South American grasslands, named in honor of the renowned naturalist William Henry Hudson. Its plumage features streaky dark brown upperparts, a pale buff supercilium, and a distinctive rufous patch on its dark wings, particularly noticeable in flight. Underparts are pale buff to whitish with subtle dusky streaking on the breast and flanks, and there is no signifi...
Found in tall, humid grasslands, often near marshes or low-lying wet areas, and occasionally in dense herbaceous cover or low thorny shrubs at elevations up to 600 meters.
Primarily insectivorous, feeding on a variety of invertebrates including beetles, ants, grasshoppers, spiders, and caterpillars, gleaned from low vegetation and the ground.
Hudson's Canastero is a largely diurnal and skulking bird, spending much of its time hidden within dense grassland vegetation. It forages primarily by gleaning insects from low leaves and stems, often hopping rapidly on the ground or among grass tussocks. During the breeding season, pairs defend ...
Hudson's Canastero is largely restricted to the temperate grasslands of southern South America. Its primary breeding range encompasses eastern and central Argentina (including provinces such as Buenos Aires, Entre Ríos, Corrientes, Santa Fe, Córdoba, La Pampa, and San Luis), Uruguay, extreme sout...
Near Threatened
- Named after the famous Anglo-Argentine naturalist and author, William Henry Hudson (1841-1922), who extensively documented South American wildlife. - The genus name "Canastero" is Spanish for "basket-maker," a fitting description for the species' distinctive globular nests constructed from gras...