Spotted Nothura
Nothura maculosa
Small sandy-colored tinamou; largely yellow below with a cryptically patterned back and head with a mix of dark and pale feathers. Mostly found in natural grasslands and savannas as well as in cultivated areas and can be locally common, but difficult to spot. The song is a repetitive “Tchip, tchip, tchip, tchip” or an insect-like “triiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii” trill.
Identification
The spotted nothura is approximately 24 to 25.5 cm (9.4–10.0 in) in length. The upper parts are brown with streaked buff. The under parts are buff streaked with black and brown on the breast, with barring to the flanks. Its crown is black streaked with buff and the throat is white. The overall hue in colour varies greatly over its range; in part caused by the differences in soil at the specific localities. It and the closely related Chaco nothura, N. chacoensis, are the only nothuras with barring to both webs of the primaries. The legs are dull yellowish-grey or brown.
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>Coenraad Jacob Temminck first identified the spotted nothura from a specimen from Paraguay, in 1815.<p>The spotted nothura has nine currently recognized subspecies. They are not well-distinguished and almost form a cline that varies north to south according to Gloger's and Bergmann's Rules.
- Scientific name
- Nothura maculosa
- Authority
- (Temminck, 1815)
- Order
- Tinamiformes
- Family
- Tinamidae
- Genus
- Nothura
Range and habitat
It lives in dry savanna habitat up to 2,300 m (7,500 ft), and temperate grassland, as well as pasture land. It occurs in eastern and southern Brazil (excluding the Mata Atlântica and planalto uplands along the coast), Paraguay, Uruguay, and Argentina.
- Migration
- Resident species
Behavior
The call of the spotted nothura is a series of brief high-pitched notes.<p>The spotted nothura eats plants, typically seeds, and animal matter. In Argentina they seem to eat more of the animal matter then they do in other locations.<p>This species can reproduce rapidly, as the female is mature within 2 months and can have five to six broods per year. The male does not mature as fast. The male will incubate the eggs and raise the chicks. Like most tinamous, its eggs have a spectacular glossy porcelain-like shell. This is colored a rich maroon or chocolate brown in this species. The clutch contains 4-6 eggs.
Conservation
The IUCN list this tinamou as Least Concern, even though it is avidly hunted, due to its fast reproduction rate. It has an occurrence range of 3,900,000 km2 (1,500,000 sq mi).
- Population trend
- declining
Photos
Distribution
Bird Calls
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