White-throated Tinamou
Encyclopedia
The White-throated Tinamou, Tinamus guttatus is a species of bird native to the Amazon rainforest
of Brazil
, northern Bolivia
, southeastern Colombia
, northeastern Ecuador
, eastern Peru
and southern Venezuela
.
s. All ratites evolved from prehistoric flying birds, to which Tinamous are the closest living relatives. The White-throated Tinamou is a monotypic species.
.
s. Along with other species of tinamous.
. The status of the White-throated tinamou is Least Concern
, and has a range occurrence of 4000000 km² (1,544,408.6 sq mi)
its eggs are prized posetions to some colectors.
Amazon Rainforest
The Amazon Rainforest , also known in English as Amazonia or the Amazon Jungle, is a moist broadleaf forest that covers most of the Amazon Basin of South America...
of Brazil
Brazil
Brazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is the largest country in South America. It is the world's fifth largest country, both by geographical area and by population with over 192 million people...
, northern 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...
, southeastern Colombia
Colombia
Colombia, officially the Republic of Colombia , is a unitary constitutional republic comprising thirty-two departments. The country is located in northwestern South America, bordered to the east by Venezuela and Brazil; to the south by Ecuador and Peru; to the north by the Caribbean Sea; to the...
, northeastern 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...
, eastern 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....
and southern Venezuela
Venezuela
Venezuela , officially called the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela , is a tropical country on the northern coast of South America. It borders Colombia to the west, Guyana to the east, and Brazil to the south...
.
Taxonomy
All tinamous are part of the family Tinamidae, and in the larger scheme are also RatiteRatite
A ratite is any of a diverse group of large, flightless birds of Gondwanan origin, most of them now extinct. Unlike other flightless birds, the ratites have no keel on their sternum—hence the name from the Latin ratis...
s. All ratites evolved from prehistoric flying birds, to which Tinamous are the closest living relatives. The White-throated Tinamou is a monotypic species.
Etymology
Tinamus guttatus comes from two different languages. Tinamus is what the native tribe, Galibi, call tinamous, and guttatus means speckled from LatinLatin
Latin is an Italic language originally spoken in Latium and Ancient Rome. It, along with most European languages, is a descendant of the ancient Proto-Indo-European language. Although it is considered a dead language, a number of scholars and members of the Christian clergy speak it fluently, and...
.
Description
The White-throated Tinamou has chestnut-brown upperparts with blackish streaking on lower back and small yellowish-white spots. It has paler underparts with wider, dark barring on flanks. It has a grey head and neck, with a white throat, brown eye, and brown bill. These birds measure between 32 and 36 cm (12.6 and 14.2 in) in length.Behavior
Like other Tinamous, the White-throated Tinamou eats fruit off the ground or low-lying bushes, as well as invertebrates, flower buds, tender leaves, seeds, and roots. The male incubates the eggs which may come from as many as four different females, and then will raise them until they are ready to be on their own, usually two to three weeks. The nest is located on the ground in dense brush or between raised root buttresses.Range and habitat
They inhabit sub-tropical and tropical lowland forests at around 500 m (1,640.4 ft) or lower. They eat seeds, fruits and invertebrateInvertebrate
An invertebrate is an animal without a backbone. The group includes 97% of all animal species – all animals except those in the chordate subphylum Vertebrata .Invertebrates form a paraphyletic group...
s. Along with other species of tinamous.
Conservation
It is a relatively abundant species in its habitat and the main threat to it is deforestationDeforestation
Deforestation is the removal of a forest or stand of trees where the land is thereafter converted to a nonforest use. Examples of deforestation include conversion of forestland to farms, ranches, or urban use....
. The status of the White-throated tinamou is Least Concern
Least Concern
Least Concern is an IUCN category assigned to extant taxon or lower taxa which have been evaluated but do not qualify for any other category. As such they do not qualify as threatened, Near Threatened, or Conservation Dependent...
, and has a range occurrence of 4000000 km² (1,544,408.6 sq mi)
its eggs are prized posetions to some colectors.