The Ayacucho thistletail (''Asthenes ayacuchensis'') is a species of

bird Birds are a group of warm-blooded vertebrates constituting the class Aves (), characterised by feathers, toothless beaked jaws, the laying of hard-shelled eggs, a high metabolic rate, a four-chambered heart, and a strong yet lightweigh ...

in the family Furnariidae. It is

endemic Endemism is the state of a species being found in a single defined geographic location, such as an island, state, nation, country or other defined zone; organisms that are indigenous to a place are not endemic to it if they are also found elsew ...

to northern

Ayacucho Ayacucho (, qu, Ayak'uchu) is the capital city of Ayacucho Region and of Huamanga Province, Ayacucho Region, Peru. During the Inca Empire and Viceroyalty of Peru periods the city was known by the name of Huamanga (Quechua: Wamanga), and it c ...

Peru , image_flag = Flag of Peru.svg , image_coat = Escudo nacional del Perú.svg , other_symbol = Great Seal of the State , other_symbol_type = Seal (emblem), National seal , national_motto = "Fi ...

. Its natural

habitat In ecology, the term habitat summarises the array of resources, physical and biotic factors that are present in an area, such as to support the survival and reproduction of a particular species. A species habitat can be seen as the physical ...

s are subtropical or tropical moist

montane forest Montane ecosystems are found on the slopes of mountains. The alpine climate in these regions strongly affects the ecosystem because temperatures fall as elevation increases, causing the ecosystem to stratify. This stratification is a crucial f ...

and

subtropical or tropical high-altitude grassland Montane grasslands and shrublands is a biome defined by the World Wildlife Fund. The biome includes high elevation grasslands and shrublands around the world. The term "montane" in the name of the biome refers to "high elevation", rather than th ...

. This species was at one time considered to be a subspecies of the

Vilcabamba thistletail The Vilcabamba thistletail (''Asthenes vilcabambae'') is a species of bird in the family Furnariidae. It is endemic to the Vilcabamba Mountains of Peru. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical moist montane forest and subtropical or ...

(''Asthenes vilcabambae''). A phylogenetic study published in 2015 that examined both DNA sequence data and vocalization recordings of members of the genus ''

Asthenes Canasteros and thistletails are small passerine birds of South America belonging to the genus ''Asthenes''. The name "canastero" comes from Spanish and means "basket-maker", referring to the large, domed nests these species make of sticks or gra ...

'' found that the Ayacucho thistletail was more similar to the

eye-ringed thistletail The eye-ringed thistletail (''Asthenes palpebralis'') is a species of bird in the family Furnariidae. It is endemic to central Peru. Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical high-altitude grassland. References eye-ringed thistletail ...

than it was to the Vilcabamba thistletail. Based on this evidence the subspecies was elevated to species rank.

References

Ayacucho thistletail Birds of the Peruvian Andes Ayacucho thistletail Ayacucho thistletail Ayacucho thistletail Ayacucho thistletail {{Furnariidae-stub