Common Miner
Geositta cunicularia
The Common Miner (Geositta cunicularia) is a rare ovenbirds and woodcreeper found in 6 countries, weighing about 29 g. The common miner is a passerine bird in the subfamily Sclerurinae, the leaftossers and miners, of the ovenbird family Furnariidae.
About the Common Miner
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.
Text adapted from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
How to identify it
The common miner is a medium-size member of its genus. It is 14 to 17 cm (5.5 to 6.7 in) long and weighs 20 to 34 g (0.71 to 1.2 oz). The sexes are alike. The nominate subspecies G. c. cunicularia has a pale brownish face with a wide whitish supercilium and a vague darker "moustache" and line behind the eye. It has a dull grayish brown crown and upperparts; the former has dark brown spots. Its uppertail coverts are dull grayish brown with pale brownish tips. Its tail feathers have buff-whitish bases and blackish ends with pale rufescent between them. Voice: The common miner sings during a display flight. The nominate subspecies's song is two notes sounding like "ta whit-ta whit" and its flight call is "a nasal 'dee-dijer' or 'er?' ". The other subspecies sing "a loud, shrill...'de-dirr-rr-rrr' " and their flight calls are "a high-pitched 'keep' or rich, sweet 'pip' ". All subspecies make trilled notes as well.
Where it lives
When to see it
Best months: January, February, March, April, May, July, August, September, October, November, December, with peak activity in November. It is a resident species across most of its range.
Easily confused with
Quick questions
- How do you identify a Common Miner?
- The common miner is a medium-size member of its genus. Full identification notes are on this page.
- How big is a Common Miner?
- The Common Miner is a small sized bird weighing about 29 g.
- Where can you see a Common Miner?
- The Common Miner occurs in 6 countries, including Chile, Argentina, Peru, Brazil and Uruguay.
- What birds look similar to a Common Miner?
- The Common Miner is most easily confused with the Rufous-banded Miner, the Puna Miner and the Coastal Miner.
- Is the Common Miner endangered?
- The Common Miner is listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List.
Learn the Common Miner for real
BeakBrain drills you on photos and calls until you can greet this bird by name in the field. Free to play, on any device.
Play BeakBrainEvery photo and recording on this page is credited to its author under the licence shown. Spotted a problem with this page, or have a better photo? Contribute.