Tinamou

Tinamous
Temporal range: Early Miocene–Recent
Elegant crested tinamou (Eudromia elegans)
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Aves
Infraclass: Palaeognathae
Clade: Notopalaeognathae
Order: Tinamiformes
Huxley, 1872[1]
Family: Tinamidae
G. R. Gray, 1840[1]
Type species
Tinamus major
Gmelin, 1789
Genera
Diversity
2 subfamilies, 9 genera, 47 species, 127 subspecies
   Range of the family
Synonyms
  • Crypturidae Bonaparte, 1831
  • Tinamotidae Bonaparte, 1854
  • Eudromiidae Bonaparte, 1854
  • Rhynchotidae von Boetticher, 1934

Tinamous (/ˈtɪnəmuːz/) are members of the order Tinamiformes (/ˌtɪnəməˈfɔːrmiːz/), and family Tinamidae (/təˈnæmədiː/), divided into two distinct subfamilies, containing 46 species found in Mexico, Central America, and South America. The word "tinamou" comes from the Galibi term for these birds, tinamu.[2] Tinamous are the only living group of palaeognaths able to fly, and were traditionally regarded as the sister group of the flightless ratites, but recent work places them well within the ratite radiation as most closely related to the extinct moa of New Zealand, implying flightlessness emerged among ratites multiple times.[3] Tinamous first appear in the fossil record in the Miocene epoch. They are generally sedentary, ground-dwelling and, though not flightless, when possible avoid flight in favour of hiding or running away from danger. They are found in a variety of habitats, ranging from semi-arid alpine grasslands to tropical rainforests. The two subfamilies are broadly divided by habitat, with the Nothurinae referred to as steppe or open country tinamous, and the Tinaminae known as forest tinamous.

Although some species are quite common, tinamous are shy and secretive birds.[4] They are active during the day, retiring to roosts at night. They generally have cryptic plumage, with males and females similar in appearance, though the females are usually larger. They are opportunistic and omnivorous feeders, consuming a wide variety of plant and animal food from fruits and seeds to worms, insects and small vertebrates. They will dust-bathe as well as wash themselves by standing in heavy rain. They are heard more often than seen, communicating with each other by a variety of frequently given, characteristic calls, especially during the breeding season.

With occasional exceptions, a male tinamou maintains a territory and a nesting site during the breeding season which a succession of females will visit, laying their eggs in the same nest. Females will wander through several territories mating with, and laying eggs in the nests of, the resident males. Nests are always on the ground, concealed in vegetation or among rocks. Eggs are relatively large and glossy, often brightly colored when laid, and are incubated by the males for a period of 2–3 weeks. The chicks can run soon after hatching and are largely self-sufficient at three weeks old.

Tinamous and their eggs have many natural predators, from falcons and vampire bats to jaguars. They have also been extensively hunted by humans and sometimes persecuted as agricultural pests. However, the main threat to their populations is from habitat destruction through land clearing and agricultural development. Seven species are listed as vulnerable and another seven as near-threatened. They feature in the mythology of the indigenous peoples of their range. Often translocated and easily bred in captivity, they have never been successfully domesticated.

  1. ^ a b Brands 2020
  2. ^ Gotch 1995, p. 182
  3. ^ Cite error: The named reference Phillips was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  4. ^ Davies 1991, p. 48