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Andean tinamou

Andean tinamou
Illustration by Joseph Smit, 1895
Conservation status
Least Concern  (IUCN 3.1)[1]]
Scientific classification
Domain:	Eukaryota
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Aves
Infraclass:	Palaeognathae
Order:	Tinamiformes
Family:	Tinamidae
Genus:	Nothoprocta
Species:	N. pentlandii
Binomial name
Nothoprocta pentlandii (Gray, GR, 1867)[2]
Subspecies[2]
N. p. pentlandii Gray 1867 N. p. ambigua Cory 1915 N. p. oustaleti Berlepsch & Stolzmann 1901 N. p. niethammeri Koepcke 1968 N. p. fulvescens Berlepsch 1902 N. p. doeringi Cabanis 1878 N. p. mendozae Banks & Bohl 1968

The Andean tinamou (Nothoprocta pentlandii) is a tinamou, found commonly in high-altitude shrubland, in the AndesofSouth America.^[3]

Taxonomy[edit]

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] pentlandii is the Latin form of Pentland which commemorates the Irish Traveller Joseph Barclay Pentland.

Subspecies[edit]

The Andean Tinamou has seven subspecies as follows:

• N. p. pentlandii, the nominate race, occurs in the Andes of western Bolivia, northwestern Argentina, and extreme northern Chile.^[3]
• N. p. ambigua occurs in the Andes of southern Ecuador and northwestern Peru.^[3]
• N. p. oustaleti occurs on the west slope of the Andes in central and southern Peru.^[3]
• N. p. niethammeri occurs in coastal central Peru.^[3]
• N. p. fulvescens occurs in the Andes of southeastern Peru.^[3]
• N. p. doeringi occurs in the Sierras de CórdobainSan Luis and Córdoba Provinces, Argentina.^[3]
• N. p. mendozae occurs in the Andes of west central ArgentinainNeuquén and Mendoza Provinces.^[3]

Description[edit]

The Andean tinamou is approximately 27 cm (11 in) in length. Its upper parts are greyish-brown to olive brown and barred with black and white. Its breast is grey and spotted with white or buff, its belly is buff or whitish and its crown is black, the sides of its head and throat are mottled grey, and its legs are yellow.

Range and habitat[edit]

The Andean tinamou can be found in the Andes from southern Ecuador to central Chile, as well as in the Sierras de CórdobainArgentina.

It prefers subtropical and tropical shrubland at 800 to 4,100 m (2,600–13,500 ft) altitude.^[5]

Conservation[edit]

The IUCN classifies the Andean tinamou as Least Concern,^[1] with an occurrence range of 550,000 km² (210,000 sq mi).^[5]

Footnotes[edit]

References[edit]

• BirdLife International (2008). "Andean Tinamou - BirdLife Species Factsheet". Data Zone. Retrieved 12 Feb 2009.
• Brands, Sheila (25 April 2017). "Systema Naturae 2000 / Classification, Nothoprocta pentlandii". Project: The Taxonomicon. Retrieved 11 July 2017.
• Clements, James (2007). The Clements Checklist of the Birds of the World (6th ed.). Ithaca, NY: Cornell University Press. ISBN 978-0-8014-4501-9.
• Davies, S.J.J.F. (2003). "Tinamous". In Hutchins, Michael (ed.). Grzimek's Animal Life Encyclopedia. Vol. 8 Birds I Tinamous and Ratites to Hoatzins (2nd ed.). Farmington Hills, MI: Gale Group. pp. 57–59. ISBN 0-7876-5784-0.
• Gotch, A. F. (1995) [1979]. "Tinamous". Latin Names Explained. A Guide to the Scientific Classifications of Reptiles, Birds & Mammals. New York, NY: Facts on File. p. 183. ISBN 0-8160-3377-3.

External links[edit]

• BirdLife Species Factsheet
• Andean Tinamou - Saint Louis Zoo
• Andean Tinamou videos, photos & sounds on the Internet Bird Collection