Rufous-bellied Seedsnipe
Encyclopedia
The Rufous-bellied Seedsnipe, Attagis gayi, is a wader
which is a resident breeding bird
in the Andes
of South America
south from Ecuador
.
It is a member of the seedsnipe
family, a group of small gregarious wader
s which have adapted to a vegetarian diet of seeds and other plant material. The most common food is the buds and leaf tips of cushion plant
s. It is found in the high Andes at up to 4000 m, although it can occur as low as 1000 m in the south of its range. It is very hardy, and does not move downhill even in harsh conditions.
Rufous-bellied Seedsnipe, when on the ground, looks superficially like a partridge
in structure and bill shape. It has short legs and long pointed wings, and looks much more like a wader or sandgrouse
in flight. It is the largest seedsnipe at 27-32 cm (10.7-13 in) in length. A very bulky bird, this species weighs 300 to 400 grams (10.6-14.1 oz).
The nominate race which breeds in Chile
and Patagonia
has scalloped pale rufous underparts, and reddish brown upperparts, with much barring. A.g. latreillii of Ecuador
is deeper chestnut below and darker above. A.g. simonsi of Peru
, Bolivia
and northwest Argentina
is intermediate in appearance.
The sexes are similar, and the juveniles are also very much like the adults, although even more heavily barred. The call is a harsh tchaaa.
The Rufous-bellied Seedsnipe’s 2-3 eggs are laid in a shallow scape on the ground, and the young are able to walk and feed as soon as they are hatched.
Rufous-bellied Seedsnipes are sometimes hunted for food by local people, especially near mines.
Wader
Waders, called shorebirds in North America , are members of the order Charadriiformes, excluding the more marine web-footed seabird groups. The latter are the skuas , gulls , terns , skimmers , and auks...
which is a resident breeding bird
Bird
Birds are feathered, winged, bipedal, endothermic , egg-laying, vertebrate animals. Around 10,000 living species and 188 families makes them the most speciose class of tetrapod vertebrates. They inhabit ecosystems across the globe, from the Arctic to the Antarctic. Extant birds range in size from...
in the Andes
Andes
The Andes is the world's longest continental mountain range. It is a continual range of highlands along the western coast of South America. This range is about long, about to wide , and of an average height of about .Along its length, the Andes is split into several ranges, which are separated...
of South America
South America
South America is a continent situated in the Western Hemisphere, mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere. The continent is also considered a subcontinent of the Americas. It is bordered on the west by the Pacific Ocean and on the north and east...
south from Ecuador
Ecuador
Ecuador , officially the Republic of Ecuador is a representative democratic republic in South America, bordered by Colombia on the north, Peru on the east and south, and by the Pacific Ocean to the west. It is one of only two countries in South America, along with Chile, that do not have a border...
.
It is a member of the seedsnipe
Seedsnipe
The seedsnipes are a small family, Thinocoridae, of small gregarious waders which have adapted to a herbivorous diet. The family is divided into two genera, Attagis and Thinocorus, each containing two species. The family has a South American distribution, in the Andean and Patagonian regions...
family, a group of small gregarious wader
Wader
Waders, called shorebirds in North America , are members of the order Charadriiformes, excluding the more marine web-footed seabird groups. The latter are the skuas , gulls , terns , skimmers , and auks...
s which have adapted to a vegetarian diet of seeds and other plant material. The most common food is the buds and leaf tips of cushion plant
Cushion plant
A cushion plant is a compact, low growing, mat forming plant that is found in alpine, subalpine, arctic, or subarctic environments around the world...
s. It is found in the high Andes at up to 4000 m, although it can occur as low as 1000 m in the south of its range. It is very hardy, and does not move downhill even in harsh conditions.
Rufous-bellied Seedsnipe, when on the ground, looks superficially like a partridge
Partridge
Partridges are birds in the pheasant family, Phasianidae. They are a non-migratory Old World group.These are medium-sized birds, intermediate between the larger pheasants and the smaller quails. Partridges are native to Europe, Asia, Africa, and the Middle East...
in structure and bill shape. It has short legs and long pointed wings, and looks much more like a wader or sandgrouse
Sandgrouse
The sandgrouse are a family, Pteroclididae, of 16 bird species, the only living members of the order Pteroclidiformes. They are restricted to treeless open country in the Old World, such as plains and semi-deserts. They are distributed across northern, southern and eastern Africa as well as...
in flight. It is the largest seedsnipe at 27-32 cm (10.7-13 in) in length. A very bulky bird, this species weighs 300 to 400 grams (10.6-14.1 oz).
The nominate race which breeds in Chile
Chile
Chile ,officially the Republic of Chile , is a country in South America occupying a long, narrow coastal strip between the Andes mountains to the east and the Pacific Ocean to the west. It borders Peru to the north, Bolivia to the northeast, Argentina to the east, and the Drake Passage in the far...
and Patagonia
Patagonia
Patagonia is a region located in Argentina and Chile, integrating the southernmost section of the Andes mountains to the southwest towards the Pacific ocean and from the east of the cordillera to the valleys it follows south through Colorado River towards Carmen de Patagones in the Atlantic Ocean...
has scalloped pale rufous underparts, and reddish brown upperparts, with much barring. A.g. latreillii of Ecuador
Ecuador
Ecuador , officially the Republic of Ecuador is a representative democratic republic in South America, bordered by Colombia on the north, Peru on the east and south, and by the Pacific Ocean to the west. It is one of only two countries in South America, along with Chile, that do not have a border...
is deeper chestnut below and darker above. A.g. simonsi of Peru
Peru
Peru , officially the Republic of Peru , is a country in western South America. It is bordered on the north by Ecuador and Colombia, on the east by Brazil, on the southeast by Bolivia, on the south by Chile, and on the west by the Pacific Ocean....
, Bolivia
Bolivia
Bolivia officially known as Plurinational State of Bolivia , is a landlocked country in central South America. It is the poorest country in South America...
and northwest Argentina
Argentina
Argentina , officially the Argentine Republic , is the second largest country in South America by land area, after Brazil. It is constituted as a federation of 23 provinces and an autonomous city, Buenos Aires...
is intermediate in appearance.
The sexes are similar, and the juveniles are also very much like the adults, although even more heavily barred. The call is a harsh tchaaa.
The Rufous-bellied Seedsnipe’s 2-3 eggs are laid in a shallow scape on the ground, and the young are able to walk and feed as soon as they are hatched.
Rufous-bellied Seedsnipes are sometimes hunted for food by local people, especially near mines.
External links
- Rufous-bellied Seedsnipe videos, photos & sounds on the Internet Bird Collection