(ovenbirds), a family of birds of the suborder Anisomyodi of the order Passeriformes. The body is between 12 and 28 cm long. Both males and females usually have reddish brown or reddish yellow plumage. There are 215 species of oven-birds, distributed from central Mexico to the south of Chile and Argentina. The birds live in forests, on the pampas, and along rivers and seas. They nest in burrows, hollow logs, or crevices in cliffs. Some build covered nests in trees, and others construct large covered nests from clay (hence the name). The white or light blue eggs are incubated for 15 to 20 days. Ovenbirds feed on insects, crabs, and spiders. Some species eat seeds.