Gray-legged Tinamou
Crypturellus duidae
Unobtrusive, poorly-known tinamou. Mostly rusty-colored with a scaly back and wings. Females are more boldly marked on the back and wings than males. Found at the edge of dense forests and especially in white sand forests. The song is a rather short double whistle: “whoo-whoooooooo.” The similar Variegated Tinamou has a grayish head and more barring on the back.
Identification
The grey-legged tinamou is a small ground-dwelling bird and a weak flyer. The grey-legged tinamou has a rusty coloured neck and upper back with a tinge of grey on its upper breast. The wings and the body of the tinamou are a scally brownish black. The grey-legged tinamou has a pronounced black eye. they vary from 28-31 cm in height. Males have a prominent dark crown of feathers on the top of the head, whereas females have a fully rusty coloured head. Females have markings on their backs and wings. The legs are a slate grey coloured which is described in the name of the species. <p>The grey-legged tinamou can be misidentified with the variegated tinamou. However, the variegated tinamou has a completely grey head and bolder barring on the wings and back.
Taxonomy
The grey-legged tinamou was first described by John T. Zimmer in 1938. The grey-legged tinamou, like all tinamous, is in the family tinamidae and the infraclass palaeognathae. In addition, There are 21 species in the genus Crypterellus, all of which are all South American tinamous. There are no subspecies of the grey-legged tinamou; it is monotypic. The genus name, Crypterellus, is formed from three latin or greek words ‘krusptis’ meaning covered or hidden, ‘oura’ meaning tail and 'ellus' meaning diminutive. Therefore, crypterullus means small hidden tail.<p>There is much debate in the scientific community about the membership of tinamous to the ratite clade. Ratites are an order of large flightless birds that include ostrichs, kiwis, emus, and the extinct moa and elephant bird. Tinamous were historically considered a sister clade to ratites because they did not share the flightless quality of the rest of the group. However, some genetic evidence points to tinamous being close relatives of Moas, indicating that tinamous are also members of the ratite clade. This phylogeny suggests a novel method of the evolution of flightlessness in ratites and means that flightlessness was lost multiple times among different ratites. This taxonomy is, however, unresolved and requires further investigation for a conclusive answer.
- Scientific name
- Crypturellus duidae
- Authority
- Zimmer, JT, 1938
- Order
- Tinamiformes
- Family
- Tinamidae
- Genus
- Crypturellus
Range and habitat
Grey-legged tinamous are native to South America, including Columbia, Peru, Ecuador, Guyana, Venezuela, and northern Brazil. However, its distribution could be even further as the population is sparsely distributed and found in fragmented landscape. It is found in dry shrubland up to 500 m (1,600 ft) altitude. As a poor soil specialist, the grey-legged tinamous are commonly found in Amazonian white-sand forests. These forests are characterized by low-hanging canopies and dense foliage, allowing the grey-legged tinamous to remain inconspicuous. They have also been documented in peatland habitats.
- Migration
- Resident species
Behavior
Migration pattern: Resident species.
Conservation
Population trend: declining.
- Population trend
- declining
Photos
Distribution
Bird Calls
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