Rufous Hornero

Furnarius rufus

Builds a 3kg oven-shaped mud nest on fence posts. Argentina national bird. Delivers rain or shine.

Population: Not numerically quantified by IUCN/BirdLife; consistently described across sources as common to abundant throughout its range, with a stable population trend
Habitat: Open and semi-open habitats: savannas, pastures, cultivated/agricultural land, second-growth scrub, and bare-soil areas, often near water (rivers, lakes, ponds); thrives around parks, gardens, and human settlements; occurs mainly in lowlands but reaches up to roughly 3,500 m elevation
Fun fact: The Rufous Hornero, Argentina's national bird, builds a rounded, sun-baked clay nest resembling a traditional wood-fired oven — the genus name Furnarius derives from the Latin furnus, "oven" — and the nests are frequently reused by other species such as saffron finches once abandoned.
Range: South America east of the Andes: Bolivia, southern/southeastern Brazil, Paraguay, Uruguay, and northern to central Argentina extending into northern Patagonia; year-round resident, non-migratory
Diet: Primarily ground-foraging insectivore — beetles, crickets, spiders and other invertebrates gleaned from bare soil, leaf litter, or near water — with occasional seeds and bread crumbs near people; nestlings fed mainly crickets and insect larvae
Size: 0.19 m
Wingspan: 0.26 m
Lifespan: 10 years

More Songbirds