''Geositta'' is a

genus Genus ( plural genera ) is a taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of extant taxon, living and fossil organisms as well as Virus classification#ICTV classification, viruses. In the hierarchy of biological classification, genus com ...

passerine A passerine () is any bird of the order Passeriformes (; from Latin 'sparrow' and '-shaped'), which includes more than half of all bird species. Sometimes known as perching birds, passerines are distinguished from other orders of birds by t ...

birds 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

ovenbird The ovenbird (''Seiurus aurocapilla'') is a small songbird of the New World warbler family (Parulidae). This migratory bird breeds in eastern North America and winters in Central America, many Caribbean islands, Florida and northern Venezuela. ...

family, Furnariidae. They are known as miners (not to be confused with the unrelated miners, ''

Manorina ''Manorina'' is a genus of Australian endemic honeyeaters, containing four species: the black-eared miner (''M. melanotis'') the yellow-throated miner (''M. flavigula''), the noisy miner (''M. melanocephala'') and the bell miner (''M. melanophrys ...

'', of

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...

) due to the tunnels they dig for nesting. There are 11 species including the

campo miner The campo miner (''Geositta poeciloptera'') is a species of bird in the family Furnariidae. It is found in Brazil and far northeastern Bolivia. Its natural habitat is dry savanna. It is threatened by habitat loss Habitat destruction (als ...

(''Geositta poeciloptera'') which was formerly classified in a genus of its own, ''Geobates''. They inhabit open country in

South America South America is a continent entirely in the Western Hemisphere and mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere at the northern tip of the continent. It can also be described as the southe ...

, particularly the

Andean The Andes, Andes Mountains or Andean Mountains (; ) are the List of mountain ranges#Mountain ranges by length, longest continental mountain range in the world, forming a continuous highland along the western edge of South America. The range i ...

and

Patagonian Patagonia () refers to a geographical region that encompasses the southern end of South America, governed by Argentina and Chile. The region comprises the southern section of the Andes Mountains with lakes, fjords, temperate rainforests, and g ...

regions. They are ground-dwelling birds, somewhat resembling the

lark Larks are passerine birds of the family Alaudidae. Larks have a cosmopolitan distribution with the largest number of species occurring in Africa. Only a single species, the horned lark, occurs in North America, and only Horsfield's bush lark occu ...

s and

wheatear The wheatears are passerine birds of the genus ''Oenanthe''. They were formerly considered to be members of the thrush family, Turdidae, but are now more commonly placed in the flycatcher family, Muscicapidae. This is an Old World group, bu ...

s of other continents. They are mostly drab brown in coloration and often have a fairly long and slender

bill Bill(s) may refer to: Common meanings * Banknote, paper cash (especially in the United States) * Bill (law), a proposed law put before a legislature * Invoice, commercial document issued by a seller to a buyer * Bill, a bird or animal's beak Plac ...

Species list

The genus contains 11 species:

References

*Jaramillo, Alvaro; Burke, Peter & Beadle, David (2003) ''Field Guide to the Birds of Chile'', Christopher Helm, London *South American Classification Committee (2007)
A classification of the bird species of South America, part 6
'. Retrieved 08/06/07. Bird genera {{Furnariidae-stub