Tinamous

Tinamous are obviously different from all other living birds, and this is the reason why they are assigned to their own order, the Tinamiformes. Although some avian systematists believe the Tinamiformes is most closely related to the order Rheiformes, there are important differences between these groups, especially the presence of a keeled sternum in tinamous. Rheas and other ratites, such as ostriches, emus, and cassowaries, are characterized by a nonkeeled sternum and are incapable of flight.

While they may be different from all other birds, the various species of tinamous are all rather similar to each other in their color, size, and shape. The entire group is believed to be composed of rather closely related taxa, and consequently, the taxonomy of tinamous is not well established. Although 45-50 species are named, further study may result in some of these taxa being joined together as subspecies of the same bird, while other species may be split into several.

Two of the more common species are the variegated tinamou (Crypturellus variegatus) and the Martineta or crested tinamou (Eudromia elegans). Both of these are birds of open grasslands of South America, known as pampas. The Martineta tinamou is one of the few social tinamous, occurring in flocks with as many as one-hundred individuals.

The rufescent tinamou (Nothocercus julius) occurs in Venezuela, Ecuador, and Columbia. The thicket tinamou (Crypturellus cinnamomeus) breeds in brushy habitats from Mexico to Columbia and Venezuela.

The Chilean tinamou (Nothoprocta perdicaria) is native to tundra-like habitats of southern South America. This species was introduced to Easter Island in the South Pacific in the late nineteenth century, and it still breeds there.

Wherever they are abundant, tinamous are hunted as a source of wild meat, or for sport. Excessive hunting, coupled with habitat loss, has resulted in numerous species being threatened with extinction. The World Conservation Union has listed 14 species of tinamous as being endangered.