| Spotted nothura | |
|---|---|
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Scientific classification  | |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Aves |
| Infraclass: | Palaeognathae |
| Order: | Tinamiformes |
| Family: | Tinamidae |
| Genus: | Nothura |
| Species: | N. maculosa |
| Binomial name | |
| Nothura maculosa | |
| Subspecies | |
N. m. maculosa Contents | |
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The spotted nothura (Nothura maculosa) is a species of tinamou. This bird is native to grassy habitats in eastern and southern Brazil, Paraguay,Bolivia, Uruguay, and eastern and northern Argentina. [3]
The spotted nothura is approximately 24 to 25.5 cm (9.4–10.0 in) in length. [4] 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.
The call of the spotted nothura is a series of brief high-pitched notes. [4]
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. [4]
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. [4] 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.
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. [4]
Coenraad Jacob Temminck first identified the spotted nothura from a specimen from Paraguay, in 1815. [4]
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.
It occurs in eastern and southern Brazil (excluding the Mata Atlântica and planalto uplands along the coast), Paraguay, Uruguay, and Argentina. [3]
It lives in dry savanna habitat up to 2,300 m (7,500 ft), and temperate grassland, as well as pasture land. [4] [7] [8]
The IUCN list this tinamou as Least Concern, [1] even though it is avidly hunted, due to its fast reproduction rate. [4] It has an occurrence range of 3,900,000 km2 (1,500,000 sq mi). [8]
Tinamous are members of the order Tinamiformes, and family Tinamidae, divided into two distinct subfamilies, containing 46 species found in Mexico, Central America, and South America. The word "tinamou" comes from the Galibi term for these birds, tinamu. Tinamous are the only living group of palaeognaths able to fly, and were traditionally regarded as the sister group of the flightless ratites, but recent work places them well within the ratite radiation as most closely related to the extinct moa of New Zealand, implying flightlessness emerged among ratites multiple times. Tinamous first appear in the fossil record in the Miocene epoch. They are generally sedentary, ground-dwelling and, though not flightless, when possible avoid flight in favour of hiding or running away from danger. They are found in a variety of habitats, ranging from semi-arid alpine grasslands to tropical rainforests. The two subfamilies are broadly divided by habitat, with the Nothurinae referred to as steppe or open country tinamous, and the Tinaminae known as forest tinamous.
The red-winged tinamou is a medium-sized ground-living bird from central and eastern South America. Other common names for the species include perdiz grande, rufous tinamou, and ynambu.
The brown tinamou is a brownish ground bird found in humid lowland and montane forest in tropical and subtropical South America.
The Andean tinamou is a tinamou, found commonly in high-altitude shrubland, in the Andes of South America.
Crypturellus is a genus of tinamous containing mostly forest species. However, there are the odd few that are grassland or steppe tinamous. The genus contains 21 species.
The solitary tinamou is a species of paleognath ground bird. This species is native to Atlantic forest of eastern Brazil.
The undulated tinamou is a species of ground bird found in a wide range of wooded habitats in eastern and northern South America.
The Tataupa tinamou is a type of tinamou commonly found in dry forest in subtropical and tropical regions in southeastern South America.
The ornate tinamou is a type of tinamou commonly found in the high altitude grassland and dry shrubland in subtropical and tropical regions of west central South America.
The brushland tinamou is a type of tinamou commonly found in high-altitude dry shrubland in subtropical and tropical regions of southern South America.
The curve-billed tinamou is a type of tinamou commonly found in high-altitude grassland and shrubland habitats in the Andes of South America.
The white-bellied nothura is a species of tinamou found in dry shrublands in northeastern Bolivia, western Paraguay, and northeastern Brazil.
The lesser nothura is a type of tinamou found in dry grassland habitats in tropical regions of east-central South America.
The dwarf tinamou, also known as the least tinamou, is a small, superficially partridge-like bird with short tail and wings, found only in Brazil. This tinamou is the only member of the genus Taoniscus and it is considered an endangered species.
Darwin's nothura is a type of tinamou commonly found in high-altitude grassland in the southern Andes in South America.
The Chaco nothura is a type of tinamou commonly found in brushland in Argentina and Paraguay.
The quebracho crested tinamou is a species of tinamou found in dry forest habitats in Paraguay and northern Argentina in South America.
Nothura is a genus of birds in the tinamou family. This genus comprises five members of this South American family.
Nothurinae or aridland tinamous is one of two subfamilies of the Tinamidae family, the other being Tinaminae. It contains eighteen species in six genera. The six genera are:
