Phacellodomus

"Thornbird" redirects here. For the 1977 novel, see The Thorn Birds. For the myth, see Thornbird (myth). For Australian singer known as Thornbird, see Vikki Thorn.

Phacellodomus is the genus of thornbirds, birds in the family Furnariidae. They are found in woodlands, shrublands, and grasslands, often near water, in South America.

Phacellodomus
Orange-breasted thornbird (Phacellodomus ferrugineigula)
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Aves
Order:	Passeriformes
Family:	Furnariidae
Genus:	Phacellodomus Reichenbach, 1853
Type species
Anabates rufifrons Rufous-fronted thornbird Wied, 1821
Species
See text

Taxonomy

The genus Phacellodomus was described in 1853 by the German naturalist Ludwig Reichenbach to accommodate the rufous-fronted thornbird.^[1][2] The genus name combines the Ancient Greek phakellos meaning "bundle of twigs" and domos meaning "house".^[3]

Species

The genus contains ten species:^[4]

• Rufous-fronted thornbird, Phacellodomus rufifrons
• Plain thornbird, Phacellodomus inornatus (split from P. rufifrons)
• Streak-fronted thornbird, Phacellodomus striaticeps
• Little thornbird, Phacellodomus sibilatrix
• Chestnut-backed thornbird, Phacellodomus dorsalis
• Spot-breasted thornbird, Phacellodomus maculipectus
• Freckle-breasted thornbird, Phacellodomus striaticollis
• Greater thornbird, Phacellodomus ruber
• Orange-eyed thornbird, Phacellodomus erythrophthalmus
• Orange-breasted thornbird, Phacellodomus ferrugineigula – formerly a subspecies of P. erythrophthalmus.^[5]