The dwarf tinamou (''Taoniscus nanus'') also known as the least tinamou, is a small, superficially
partridge-like bird with short
tail and
wings.
Taxonomy and systematics
All tinamou are from the family Tinamidae, and in the larger scheme are also
ratite
A ratite () is any of a diverse group of flightless, large, long-necked, and long-legged birds of the infraclass Palaeognathae. Kiwi, the exception, are much smaller and shorter-legged and are the only nocturnal extant ratites.
The systematics ...
s. 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.
[Davies, S. J. J. F. (2003)] The dwarf tinamou is the
only member of the genus ''Taoniscus'' and is a monotypic species.
A phylogenetic study published in 2022 found that the dwarf tinamou was embedded within the genus ''
Nothura
''Nothura'' is a genus of birds in the tinamou family. This genus comprises five members of this South American family.
Tinamous are paleognaths related to the flightless ratites. They are probably close in appearance to the flying ancestors of ...
''.
Description
It is approximately long. It is greyish-brown with a pale throat, boldly patterned neck and upper parts, and it has brown-barred buff underparts and a blackish crown. Some individuals are significantly darker and greyer than others, but it remains unclear if these
plumage
Plumage ( "feather") is a layer of feathers that covers a bird and the pattern, colour, and arrangement of those feathers. The pattern and colours of plumage differ between species and subspecies and may vary with age classes. Within species, ...
variations are
morphs or differences between the sexes. The
iris and legs are dull yellowish. It resembles a small dumpy
nothura
''Nothura'' is a genus of birds in the tinamou family. This genus comprises five members of this South American family.
Tinamous are paleognaths related to the flightless ratites. They are probably close in appearance to the flying ancestors of ...
, but is more easily confused with the
ocellated crake
The ocellated crake (''Micropygia schomburgkii'') is a species of bird in the family Rallidae that is placed in the monotypic genus ''Micropygia''.
It is found in Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Costa Rica, French Guiana, Guyana, Paraguay, Peru, Surin ...
.
Vocalizations
Its
voice consists of high-pitched cricket-like trills followed by ''peet'' notes.
Distribution and habitat
The dwarf tinamou is found in the arid
scrub
Scrub(s) may refer to:
* Scrub, low shrub and grass characteristic of scrubland
* Scrubs (clothing), worn by medical staff
* ''Scrubs'' (TV series), an American television program
* Scrubs (occupation), also called "scrub tech," "scrub nurse," ...
grasslands, around in
elevation, restricted to the
Cerrado region of interior southeastern
Brazil[Clements, J. (2007)] in
Distrito Federal,
Goiás,
Minas Gerais,
Mato Grosso do Sul
Mato Grosso do Sul () is one of the Midwestern states of Brazil. Neighboring Brazilian states are (from north clockwise) Mato Grosso, Goiás, Minas Gerais, São Paulo and Paraná. It also borders the countries of Paraguay, to the southwest, and ...
,
São Paulo and formerly
Paraná. Specimens ''were'' also known from
Paraguay (
Misiones
Misiones (, ''Missions'') is one of the 23 provinces of Argentina, located in the northeastern corner of the country in the Mesopotamia region. It is surrounded by Paraguay to the northwest, Brazil to the north, east and south, and Corrientes P ...
) and
Argentina (the
Río Bermejo
The Bermejo River ( Spanish, Río Bermejo) is a river in South America that flows from Bolivia to the Paraguay River in Argentina. The river is generally called Bermejo in spite of its different names along its way, but it also has its own Nati ...
in either
Chaco or
Formosa
Taiwan, officially the Republic of China (ROC), is an island country located in East Asia. The main island of Taiwan, formerly known in the Western political circles, press and literature as Formosa, makes up 99% of the land area of the territorie ...
), but all recent records are from Brazil.
It is, however, highly inconspicuous and easily overlooked.
Behaviour and ecology
Feeding
The diet of the dwarf tinamou consists mainly of
grass seeds,
termites or other
insects and
arthropods.
Threats
The dwarf tinamou is currently threatened by the ongoing
habitat loss caused by
mechanised agriculture
Mechanised agriculture or agricultural mechanization is the use of machinery and equipment, ranging from simple and basic hand tools to more sophisticated, motorized equipment and machinery, to perform agricultural operations. In modern times, po ...
, intensive
cattle-ranching,
afforestation
Afforestation is the establishment of a forest or stand of trees (forestation) in an area where there was no previous tree cover. Many government and non-governmental organizations directly engage in afforestation programs to create forests a ...
,
invasive
Invasive may refer to:
*Invasive (medical) procedure
*Invasive species
*Invasive observation, especially in reference to surveillance
*Invasively progressive spread of disease from one organ in the body to another, especially in reference to cancer ...
grasses, excessive use of
pesticide
Pesticides are substances that are meant to control pests. This includes herbicide, insecticide, nematicide, molluscicide, piscicide, avicide, rodenticide, bactericide, insect repellent, animal repellent, microbicide, fungicide, and lampri ...
s and annual burning. It is also
hunted by people for food in some areas. Farming and ranching are its largest threats.
The dwarf tinamou is evaluated as
Vulnerable
Vulnerable may refer to:
General
* Vulnerability
* Vulnerability (computing)
* Vulnerable adult
* Vulnerable species
Music
Albums
* ''Vulnerable'' (Marvin Gaye album), 1997
* ''Vulnerable'' (Tricky album), 2003
* ''Vulnerable'' (The Used album) ...
on the
IUCN Red List of Threatened Species.
It has an occurrence range of , and the last population estimate, done in 2000, showed between 5,800 and 6,960 adults.
[BirdLife International (2008)]
Status
The dwarf tinamou is currently being conserved in three protected areas:
Serra da Canastra National Park,
Itapetininga Experimental Station
Itapetininga is a municipality in the state of São Paulo, Brazil. The population is 165,526 (2020 est.) in an area of 1790 km2. The name comes from a Tupi-Guarani language, meaning "dry stone".[IBGE Roncador Biological Reserve
The Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics ( pt, Instituto Brasileiro de Geografia e Estatística; IBGE) is the agency responsible for official collection of statistics, statistical, geographic, cartography, cartographic, Geodetic syste ...]
. Several areas adjacent to the
Río Bermejo
The Bermejo River ( Spanish, Río Bermejo) is a river in South America that flows from Bolivia to the Paraguay River in Argentina. The river is generally called Bermejo in spite of its different names along its way, but it also has its own Nati ...
,
Argentina, have been surveyed with the aid of tape-playback, but the species has not been found. It was also proposed to survey
Serra do Cipó National Park,
Chapada dos Veadeiros National Park
Chapada dos Veadeiros National Park ( pt, Parque Nacional da Chapada dos Veadeiros) is a national park of Brazil located in the state of Goiás, on the top of an ancient plateau with an estimated age of 1.8 billion years. The park was created on ...
and
Emas National Park
The Emas National Park ( pt, Parque Nacional das Emas, literally meaning " Rhea National Park") is a national park and a UNESCO World Heritage Site in the states of Goiás and Mato Grosso do Sul in Brazil.
Description
The National Park is locat ...
specifically for this species with the aid of tape-playback. And conduct further surveys in Argentina and Paraguay in the areas where the specimen was collected. It was also proposed to determine best management practices for existing protected areas and control the burning of
cerrado habitats.
Footnotes
References
*
*
*
External links
BirdLife Species Factsheet
{{Taxonbar, from=Q248520
dwarf tinamou
The dwarf tinamou (''Taoniscus nanus'') also known as the least tinamou, is a small, superficially partridge-like bird with short tail and wings.
Taxonomy and systematics
All tinamou are from the family Tinamidae, and in the larger scheme are ...
Birds of the Cerrado
Birds of Brazil
dwarf tinamou
The dwarf tinamou (''Taoniscus nanus'') also known as the least tinamou, is a small, superficially partridge-like bird with short tail and wings.
Taxonomy and systematics
All tinamou are from the family Tinamidae, and in the larger scheme are ...
Tinamous