Ornate Tinamou
Nothoprocta ornata
Gray-and-brown chicken-like bird found at high elevations in rocky Andean scrub and grasslands. Finely barred across its head, back, and wings. Note its small, slightly decurved bill, which helps distinguish it from the longer-billed Andean Tinamou. Ornate is larger than that species as well. Gives rapid high “wee!” calls when flushed.
Identification
The ornate tinamou is approximately 32 cm (13 in) in length. Its upper parts are brownish-grey marked with black and buff, it is tawny-buff below with darker barring. Its head and neck are buff with prominent black spots, its bill is slender and curved, and its legs are either yellow or grey.
Taxonomy
All tinamou are from the family Tinamidae, and in the larger scheme are also ratites. Unlike other ratites, tinamous can fly, although in general, they are not strong fliers. All ratites evolved from prehistoric flying birds, and tinamous are the closest living relative of these birds.<p>Kalinowski's tinamou Nothoprocta kalinowskii was considered a separate species but further research has deemed it a junior synonym of Nothoprocta ornata branickii, and the SACC voted to do just that on 14 Feb 2007.<p>The ornate tinamou has three subspecies as follows:
- Scientific name
- Nothoprocta ornata
- Authority
- (Gray, GR, 1867)
- Order
- Tinamiformes
- Family
- Tinamidae
- Genus
- Nothoprocta
Range and habitat
The ornate tinamou lives in high-altitude grassland. They also live in shrubland, both high and low elevation, and they are showing some success of living on farmland. They prefer elevations of 3,450 to 4,700 m (11,320–15,420 ft). This species is native to the puna of central Peru and the Andes of southeastern Peru, western Bolivia, extreme northern Chile, and northwestern Argentina.
- Migration
- Resident species
Behavior
Like other tinamous, the ornate tinamou eats fruit off the ground or low-lying bushes. They also eat small amounts of invertebrates, flower buds, tender leaves, seeds, and roots. The male incubates the eggs which may come from as many as 4 different females, and then will raise them until they are ready to be on their own, usually 2–3 weeks. The nest is located on the ground in dense brush or between raised root buttresses.
Conservation
The IUCN list this species as Least Concern, with an occurrence rang eof 740,000 km2 (290,000 sq mi).
- Population trend
- declining
Photos
Distribution
Bird Calls
Other Birds
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Black-browed Babbler
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Ptilinopus ornatus
A fruit dove primarily of foothill forest but wanders to lowland and montane forest. Two very different races. Dark red-capped race from the Bird’s Head of New Guinea, and yellow-green capped further east. Note the white band from the bill around the back of the neck and clay-colored chest. Similar to Pink-spotted Dove, but Ornate Fruit-Dove has a dark red wedge on the shoulder and yellow tip to the tail. Voice a slow but accelerating series of rising “woop” notes, similar to that of Pink-spotted but not as fast.
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