''Geositta'' is a
genus
Genus ( plural genera ) is a taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms as well as viruses. In the hierarchy of biological classification, genus comes above species and below family. In binomial n ...
of
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 th ...
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 lightweig ...
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) due to the tunnels they dig for nesting. There are 11 species including the
campo miner (''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 souther ...
, particularly the
Andean
The Andes, Andes Mountains or Andean Mountains (; ) are the longest continental mountain range in the world, forming a continuous highland along the western edge of South America. The range is long, wide (widest between 18°S – 20°S l ...
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 gl ...
regions. They are ground-dwelling birds, somewhat resembling the