Andean Tinamou

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

The Andean Tinamou (Nothoprocta pentlandii) is a tinamou, found commonly in high altitude shrubland, in the Andes of South America^[3].

Etymology

Crypturellus is formed from three Latin or Greek words. kruptos meaning covered or hidden, oura meaning tail, and ellus meaning diminutive. Therefore Crypturellus means small hidden tail.^[4]

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.^[5] pentlandii is the Latin form of Pentland which commemorates the Irish Traveller Joseph Barclay Pentland.

Subspecies

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 Córdoba in San Luis and Córdoba Provinces, Argentina^[3].
• N. p. mendozae occurs in the Andes of west central Argentina in Neuquén and Mendoza Provinces^[3].

Description

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

The Andean Tinamou can be found in the Andes of Ecuador, northern Chile, Peru, Bolivia and northwestern Argentina.^[3]

It prefers subtropical and tropical shrubland at 800–4,100 m (2,600–13,500 ft) altitude.^[6]

Conservation

The IUCN classifies the Andean Tinamou as Least Concern,^[1] with an occurrence range of 550,000 km² (210,000 sq mi).^[6]

Footnotes

1. ^ ^{a b} BirdLife International (2008)
2. ^ ^{a b c d e f g h} Brand, S. (2008)
3. ^ ^{a b c d e f g h i} Clements, J. (2007)
4. ^ Gotch, A. F. (1995)
5. ^ Davies, S. J. J. F. (2003)
6. ^ ^{a b} BirdLife International (2008)(a)

References

• BirdLife International (2008). Nothoprocta pentlandii. In: IUCN 2008. IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Downloaded on 12 Feb 2009.
• BirdLife International (2008(a)). "Andean Tinamou - BirdLife Species Factsheet". Data Zone. http://www.birdlife.org/datazone/species/index.html?action=SpcHTMDetails.asp&sid=46&m=1. Retrieved 12 Feb 2009. 
• Brands, Sheila (Aug 14 2008). "Systema Naturae 2000 / Classification, Nothoprocta pentlandii". Project: The Taxonomicon. http://www.taxonomy.nl/Main/Classification/51369.htm. Retrieved 12 Feb 2009. 
• Clements, James (2007). The Clements Checklist of the Birds of the World (6 ed.). Ithaca, NY: Cornell University Press. ISBN 978 0 8014 4501 9. 
• Davies, S.J.J.F. (2003). "Tinamous". In Hutchins, Michael. Grzimek's Animal Life Encyclopedia. 8 Birds I Tinamous and Ratites to Hoatzins (2 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

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