Birds and Birding's Guide to:
Watching THE SPARROW-LIKE BIRDS
THE FREE-TOED PERCHING BIRDS
THE OVEN-BIRDS AND ALLIES
Miners
In a closely allied genus (Geositta), the species of which are known as Miners, the birds excavate a burrow, which in the case of the Common Miner (G. cunicularia) of Argentina and Uruguay is from three to six feet long, and terminates in a circular chamber, where on a bed of soft grasses the five eggs are deposited. The Earth Creepers (Upucerthia) also deposit their eggs in holes in the ground. Another remarkable style of nest is that made by the Firewood Gatherer (Anumbius acuticaudatus), so named from the great quantity of sticks it brings together. The site of the nest is usually an isolated tree in an open situation, and the height above the ground varies up to perhaps sixty or seventy feet.”The nest,”Mr. Hudson says,”is about two feet in depth, and from ten to twelve inches in diameter, and rests in an oblique position amongst the branches. The entrance is at the top, and a crooked or spiral passageway leads down to the lower extremity, where the breeding chamber is situated; this is lined with wool and soft grass, and five white eggs are laid."