Bird Guide

Austral Canastero vs Streak-backed Canastero

Austral Canastero (Asthenes anthoides)

Austral Canastero

Asthenes anthoides

Small22 gGrassland

The austral canastero is 15.5 to 16.5 cm (6.1 to 6.5 in) long and weighs 21 to 23 g (0.74 to 0.81 oz). It is the southernmost canastero, and one of several streaked canasteros that have drab plumages with dark stripes on their upperparts. It has a shorter tail than many other canasteros. The sexes have the same plumage, but there is much individual variation. Adults have a whitish or pale buff supercilium and dark dusky lores on an otherwise sandy brownish face. Their crown, back, and rump are sandy brown with conspicuous blackish streaks. Voice: The austral canastero's song is a "short rising trill repeated several times with intervals of a few seconds". It mostly sings during the breeding season, during the morning and late afternoon, and from atop a small bush. Its call is a " very short metallic tick, repeated in loose series".

ID text from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0

Photo: Bell, Thomas; Darwin, Charles; Gould, Elizabeth; Gould, John; Owen, Richard; Waterhouse, G. R. · Public domain
Streak-backed Canastero (Asthenes wyatti)

Streak-backed Canastero

Asthenes wyatti

Small15 gGrassland

The streak-backed canastero is 16 to 18 cm (6.3 to 7.1 in) long and weighs 17 to 25 g (0.60 to 0.88 oz). The sexes have the same plumage. Adults of the nominate subspecies A. w. wyatti have a narrow buff supercilium on an otherwise grizzled light brown and blackish face. Their crown, nape, back, rump, and uppertail coverts are olive-brown. Their forehead has dark brown flecks that become thin streaks on the crown and nape and wider streaks on the back. Voice: Despite its very large north to south range, the streak-backed canastero's song and calls appear to differ little among the subspecies. Its song is a "dry rattling phrase that gradually ascends in frequency while accelerating and increasing in amplitude until the very end when it suddenly fades and drops in frequency ti-ti-tititittrrreeuw".

ID text from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0

Sonogram of the Streak-backed Canastero
Recorded by Niels Krabbe · Song · Loja: San Antonio de Cumbe road, Ecuador · CC BY-SA 4.0
Photo: Ezequiel Vera · CC BY 4.0

Where you might meet both

Learn this pair in the BeakBrain App

Photo and call practice. Coming soon to iPhone and Android.

Play today's Daily Bird

Photos and recordings are credited to their authors under the licence shown. Full profiles: Austral Canastero and Streak-backed Canastero.