Brazilian Tinamou
Crypturellus strigulosus
Dark, subtly-patterned tinamou. Cold grayish brown, with a more reddish head and variable black barring on the wings; females are more strongly barred than males. Usually found in mature upland rainforest. Its song is a distinctive long, flat whistle that is held for at least five seconds, sometimes much longer; beware, in parts of their range there are similar-sounding cicadas!
Identification
The Brazilian tinamou is approximately 28 cm (11 in) in length. It has reddish-brown upper parts, rufous throat, grey breast, whitish belly, and brown legs. The female has a distinct black barring and is ochraceous on its upper parts.
Taxonomy
The Brazilian tinamou is a monotypic species. 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.
- Scientific name
- Crypturellus strigulosus
- Authority
- (Temminck, 1815)
- Order
- Tinamiformes
- Family
- Tinamidae
- Genus
- Crypturellus
Range and habitat
The Brazilian tinamou lives in tropical or sub-tropical lowland moist forest up to 500 m (1,600 ft). This species is native to northwestern Bolivia, southern Amazonian Brazil and eastern Peru.
- Migration
- Resident species
Behavior
Like other tinamous, the Brazilian 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 bird as Least Concern, with an occurrence range of 2,600,000 km2 (1,000,000 sq mi).
- Population trend
- declining
Photos
Distribution
Bird Calls
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