White-throated tinamou

Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

White-throated tinamou
Voice

Near Threatened  (IUCN 3.1)[1]
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Aves
Infraclass: Palaeognathae
Order: Tinamiformes
Family: Tinamidae
Genus: Tinamus
Species:
T. guttatus
Binomial name
Tinamus guttatus

The white-throated tinamou (Tinamus guttatus) is a species of bird native to the Amazon rainforest of Brazil, northern Bolivia, southeastern Colombia, northeastern Ecuador, eastern Peru and southern Venezuela.[3]

Etymology

The scientific name for the white-throated tinamou, Tinamus guttatus, originates from two different languages. Tinamus was the name given to the tinamou by the Kalina people. Guttatus means "speckled" in Latin. This may be in reference to the yellowish-white spots on a white-throated tinamou's lower back.[4]

Taxonomy

All tinamous are from the family

ratites, and can even fly, albeit poorly. All paleognaths evolved from prehistoric flying birds, and tinamous are the closest living relative of these birds.[5] The white-throated tinamou is a member of the genus Tinamus, which consists of some of the larger tinamous, the white-throated tinamou being the smallest member of the genus.[2] It was first described by Austrian ornithologist August von Pelzeln in 1863.[6] It is a monotypic species, meaning it doesn't branch off into subspecies.[3]

Description

The white-throated tinamou has chestnut-brown upperparts with blackish streaking on lower back and small yellowish-white spots. It has paler underparts with wider, dark barring on flanks. It has a grey head and neck, with a white throat, brown eye, and brown bill. These birds measure between 32 and 36 cm (13 and 14 in) in length.

Behavior

Like other tinamous, the white-throated tinamou eats fruit off the ground or low-lying bushes, as well as

invertebrates, flower buds, tender leaves, seeds, and roots. The male incubates the eggs which may come from as many as four different females, and then will raise them until they are ready to be on their own, usually two to three weeks. The nest is located on the ground in dense brush or between raised root buttresses.[5]

Range and habitat

They inhabit sub-tropical and tropical lowland forests at around 500 m (1,600 ft) or lower.[1] They eat seeds, fruits and invertebrates.

Conservation

It is a relatively abundant species in its habitat and the main threat to it is

Near Threatened, and it has a range occurrence of 4,000,000 km2 (1,500,000 sq mi).[1]
Its eggs are prized possessions to some collectors.

Footnotes

  1. ^
    doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2019-3.RLTS.T22678151A136647817.en
    . Retrieved 12 November 2021.
  2. ^ a b Brands, S. (2008)
  3. ^ a b Clements, J (2007)
  4. ^ Gotch, A. F. (1995)
  5. ^ a b Davies, S. J. J. F. (2003)
  6. ^ ITIS Standard. (2017)

References

Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=White-throated_tinamou&oldid=1191149628"