Lesser Nothura

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Lesser Nothura

Scientific classification

Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Aves
Order:	Tinamiformes
Family:	Tinamidae
Genus:	Nothura
Species:	N. minor

Binomial name

Nothura minor
(Spix, 1825)

The Lesser Nothura Nothura minor is a type of Tinamou found in lowland dry grassland habitats in subtropical and tropical region up to 200 to 1000m altitude. This species is recently recorded to found in south-central Brazil and one of the sites in north-east Paraguay at Laguna Blanca, San Pedro department. The status of the species is evaluated as Vulnerable.

1 Habitats
2 Characteristics
3 Threats
4 Conservation measures
5 Reference

[edit] Habitats

The Lesser Nothura inhabits lowland dry grassland habitats of subtropical/ tropical region at altitude range of 200 to 1,000m.

[edit] Characteristics

The Lesser Nothura is approximately 18 cm in length. It has a blackish crown and bill with yellowish mottling. Its face warm buff with paler throat with iris brown. Its neck yellow, spotted dark brown, becoming streaky towards breast. Upperparts blackish-brown barred rufous with creamy fringes with wings barred dusky. Rest of underparts pale buff with some brownish markings on flanks. Its legs yellow. It has a series of long, high-pitched and metallic peeeeep whistles.

[edit] Threats

The habitats inhabited by Lesser Nothura are being rapidly destroyed by mechanised agriculture, intensive cattle-ranching, afforestation, invasive grasses, excessive use of pesticides and annual burning. By 1993, two-thirds of the Cerrado region had been heavily or moderately altered, with most of the destruction having occurred since 1950.

[edit] Conservation measures

The Lesser Nothura is protected under Brazilian law, and conserved in Brasília National Park, Emas National Park and Serra da Canastra National Park, IBGE Roncador Biological Reserve, Itapetininga Experimental Station and Itirapina Experimental Station. It may still occur in Serra do Cipó National Park and Chapada dos Veadeiros National Park. It has been proposed to survey suitable habitat in Serra do Cipó National Park and Chapada dos Veadeiros National Park, using tape-playback. It was also proposed to identify other unprotected areas of suitable habitat in north-eastern Paraguay, north and west Minas Gerais and Goiás.