Little Tinamou

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Little Tinamou
Conservation status
Least Concern
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia Phylum: Chordata Class: Aves Order: Tinamiformes Family: Tinamidae Genus: Crypturellus Species: C. soui
Binomial name
Crypturellus soui (Hermann, 1783)

The Little Tinamou, (Crypturellus soui), is a member of the most ancient groups of bird families, the tinamous.

Contents 1 Subspecies 2 Habitats 3 Characteristics 4 Breeding 5 References

[edit] Subspecies

• Crypturellus soui meserythrus occurs from Mexico to Honduras
• Crypturellus soui modestus occurs from Nicaragua to Panama
• Crypturellus soui capnodes occurs in north-west Panama
• Crypturellus soui poliocephalus occurs in western Panama
• Crypturellus soui caucae occurs in western Colombia
• Crypturellus soui harterti occurs in north-west Colombia and west Ecuador
• Crypturellus soui mustelinus occurs in north-east Colombia
• Crypturellus soui caqueta occurs in south-east Colombia
• Crypturellus soui nigriceps occurs in east Ecuador
• Crypturellus soui soui occurs from eastern Colombia to the Guianas and northern Brazil
• Crypturellus soui albigularis occurs in eastern Brazil
• Crypturellus soui inconspicuus occurs in central Bolivia
• Crypturellus soui andrei occurs in Trinidad (an ancient introduction)
• Crypturellus soui panamensis occurs in the Pearl Islands of Panama (an ancient introduction)

[edit] Habitats

It is a resident breeder in humid forests at altitude 2,000 m and other damp overgrown habitats down through Central and South America as far as southern Brazil. It ranges from southern Mexico to Panama to South America in Colombia, Venezela and the Guianas, Ecuador, Peru, northern Bolivia and much of amazonian Brazil.

The Little Tinamou is rarely seen in its dark, dense forests, walking away through the undergrowth. It can be located by its slow whistling calls (soft, descending whinny; also a series of single notes, tempo increasing at end), given by both sexes. It eats seeds, berries, and some insects.

[edit] Characteristics

The Little Tinamou is approximately 22 to 24cm long and weighs 220g. This species is a shy, secretive and solitary Tinamou. Although it looks similar to other ground-dwelling birds like quail and grouse, it is completely unrelated to those groups. This is a dumpy bird recognised by small size and lack of barring. It has an unbarred sooty-brown plumage, shaded to grey on the head and with a whiter throat. Its foreneck is brownish and becoming cinnamon buff on belly. The female has a brighter rufous brown below than the male. Legs can be greyish, olive or yellowish. It lays two glossy dark purple coloured eggs on the ground. The young are precocial, and can run almost as soon as they hatch.

The Little Tinamou has a long tremulous whistle heard mainly at dusk.

[edit] Breeding

The breeding season of the Little Tinamou ranges from May to October. Its nest is a small depression in forest floor, sometimes lined with a few leaves at the base of a tree or bush. It lays two glossy dark purple coloured eggs, sometimes one. The size of the egg is approximately 41 x 32mm. The egges are incubated by male. The young are precocial, and can run almost as soon as they hatch..

[edit] References

• BirdLife International (2004). Crypturellus soui. 2006 IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. IUCN 2006. Retrieved on 11 May 2006. Database entry includes justification for why this species is of least concern
• Birds of Venezuela by Hilty, ISBN 0-7136-6418-5
• ffrench, Richard (1991). A Guide to the Birds of Trinidad and Tobago, 2nd edition, Comstock Publishing. ISBN 0-8014-9792-2.