Small-billed Tinamou
Crypturellus parvirostris
Small unobtrusive tinamou, which can be locally common in grasslands, savanna, and agricultural areas. Striking red bill and legs are its most notable features, otherwise largely gray with a brown back and scalloped vent. Similar Tataupa Tinamou has purple legs. The song is a long, descending trill of “trii” notes that finishes with a low “truuu truuu truuu” which can be heard all day. Sometimes just the last notes are sung.
Identification
The small-billed tinamou is approximately 22 cm (8.7 in) in length. Its upperparts are dark brown, with grey to brownish under parts and head. Its bill and legs are red.
Taxonomy
The small-billed 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 parvirostris
- Authority
- (Wagler, 1827)
- Order
- Tinamiformes
- Family
- Tinamidae
- Genus
- Crypturellus
Range and habitat
The small-billed tinamou prefers dry savanna, but will also reside in lowland shrubland. Its range is Amazonian South America; Brazil except for the southeastern portion, northeastern Peru, eastern Bolivia, Paraguay, and northeastern Argentina.
- Migration
- Resident species
Behavior
Like other tinamous, the small-billed 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 classifies this tinamou as Least Concern, with an occurrence range of 6,700,000 km2 (2,600,000 sq mi).
- Population trend
- declining
Photos
Distribution
Bird Calls
Other Birds
Red-throated Pipit
Anthus cervinus
Small pipit; adults distinctive with rusty-red face and throat (paler in winter), contrasting with streaked white belly. The back is heavily streaked black, white, and brown, and the rump is also streaked. Breeds in mountains and on the tundra in open grasslands and boggy areas with willows. Winters in a range of damp, open habitats, such as wet fields, marshlands, pastures, and riverbanks. Camouflaged and difficult to spot on the ground. When flushed may fly a long way uttering a far-carrying "pssiiih" call.
Olive Honeyeater
Lichmera argentauris
A nondescript sparrow-sized songbird with a slender, downcurved bill. Entirely olive-green above and uniform pale gray below, but note head pattern, which includes a prominent whitish smudge on the cheeks and dull bare skin below the eye. Juvenile has a pink facial patch. Singles, pairs, or groups inhabit scrubland, wooded areas, and coconut plantations in lowlands. Confined to islets in the Moluccas and to West Papua, where it is readily identified by its head pattern. Harsh, squeaky vocalizations include “tchew” and “grrt” notes and “chi-witchoo” or “witch-oo” phrases.
Northern Red-billed Hornbill
Tockus erythrorhynchus
A fairly small, slim, long-tailed hornbill. Note the red bill, the pink or red bare facial skin, and the heavily spotted back. The eye is dark in most of the range, but birds in some parts of East Africa show a pale eye. White patches on the wing and outer tail are conspicuous in flight. Found in savanna and thornscrub. Similar to Western and Tanzanian Red-billed Hornbills, but separated from both by the pale rather than black bare skin around the eye. Call is a series of clucks that starts with single notes, then becomes louder and more emphatic, with doubled notes.
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