''Nothoprocta'' is a

genus Genus ( plural genera ) is a taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of extant taxon, living and fossil organisms as well as Virus classification#ICTV classification, viruses. In the hierarchy of biological classification, genus com ...

bird Birds are a group of warm-blooded vertebrates constituting the class Aves (), characterised by feathers, toothless beaked jaws, the laying of hard-shelled eggs, a high metabolic rate, a four-chambered heart, and a strong yet lightweigh ...

s belonging to the

tinamou Tinamous () form an order of birds called Tinamiformes (), comprising a single family called Tinamidae (), divided into two distinct subfamilies, containing 46 species found in Mexico, Central America, and South America. The word "tinamou" come ...

family Tinamidae. They inhabit

scrubland Shrubland, scrubland, scrub, brush, or bush is a plant community characterized by vegetation dominance (ecology), dominated by shrubs, often also including grasses, Herbaceous plant, herbs, and geophytes. Shrubland may either occur naturally or ...

grassland A grassland is an area where the vegetation is dominated by grasses (Poaceae). However, sedge (Cyperaceae) and rush (Juncaceae) can also be found along with variable proportions of legumes, like clover, and other herbs. Grasslands occur natur ...

and open

woodland A woodland () is, in the broad sense, land covered with trees, or in a narrow sense, synonymous with wood (or in the U.S., the ''plurale tantum'' woods), a low-density forest forming open habitats with plenty of sunlight and limited shade (see ...

in western

South America South America is a continent entirely in the Western Hemisphere and mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere at the northern tip of the continent. It can also be described as the southe ...

, particularly in the

Andes The Andes, Andes Mountains or Andean Mountains (; ) are the longest continental mountain range in the world, forming a continuous highland along the western edge of South America. The range is long, wide (widest between 18°S – 20°S ...

. They are poor fliers and spend most of their time on the ground. Their diet includes

seed A seed is an embryonic plant enclosed in a protective outer covering, along with a food reserve. The formation of the seed is a part of the process of reproduction in seed plants, the spermatophytes, including the gymnosperm and angiospe ...

s and

insect Insects (from Latin ') are pancrustacean hexapod invertebrates of the class Insecta. They are the largest group within the arthropod phylum. Insects have a chitinous exoskeleton, a three-part body ( head, thorax and abdomen), three pairs ...

s. They nest on the ground, laying large glossy

eggs Humans and human ancestors have scavenged and eaten animal eggs for millions of years. Humans in Southeast Asia had domesticated chickens and harvested their eggs for food by 1,500 BCE. The most widely consumed eggs are those of fowl, especial ...

. The eggs are covered with feathers when a potential predator is nearby. They are medium-sized tinamous, long. They have strong legs and fairly long, downcurved bills. The

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, ...

is mostly grey-brown with intricate black, white and buff markings. The birds have loud, whistling calls.

Species list

There are at least six species in the genus. A seventh species,

Kalinowski's tinamou The ornate tinamou (''Nothoprocta ornata'') is a type of tinamou commonly found in the high altitude grassland and dry shrubland in subtropical and tropical regions of west central South America.Clements, J. (2007) Etymology ''Nothoprocta'' come ...

, ''Nothoprocta kalinowskii'', is sometimes recognized but is more likely to be a

junior synonym The Botanical and Zoological Codes of nomenclature treat the concept of synonymy differently. * In botanical nomenclature, a synonym is a scientific name that applies to a taxon that (now) goes by a different scientific name. For example, Linna ...

of ''Nothoprocta ornata branickii'', a subspecies of the

ornate tinamou The ornate tinamou (''Nothoprocta ornata'') is a type of tinamou commonly found in the high altitude grassland and dry shrubland in subtropical and tropical regions of west central South America.Clements, J. (2007) Etymology ''Nothoprocta'' come ...

. The SACC voted to demote the Kalinowski's Tinamou, on 14 Feb 2007. * ''Nothoprocta taczanowskii'',

Taczanowski's tinamou Taczanowski's tinamou (''Nothoprocta taczanowskii'') is a type of ground bird found in the eastern Andes in Peru in the Junín, Cuzco, Apurímac, Ayacucho, and Puno Regions.Clements, J. (2007) Taxonomy This is a monotypic species. All Tinamou ...

, located in the

of south central

Peru , image_flag = Flag of Peru.svg , image_coat = Escudo nacional del Perú.svg , other_symbol = Great Seal of the State , other_symbol_type = Seal (emblem), National seal , national_motto = "Fi ...

Clements, J. (2007) * ''Nothoprocta ornata'',

, located in southern and central

, southwestern

Bolivia , image_flag = Bandera de Bolivia (Estado).svg , flag_alt = Horizontal tricolor (red, yellow, and green from top to bottom) with the coat of arms of Bolivia in the center , flag_alt2 = 7 × 7 square p ...

, northern

Chile Chile, officially the Republic of Chile, is a country in the western part of South America. It is the southernmost country in the world, and the closest to Antarctica, occupying a long and narrow strip of land between the Andes to the east a ...

, and northwestern

Argentina Argentina (), officially the Argentine Republic ( es, link=no, República Argentina), is a country in the southern half of South America. Argentina covers an area of , making it the second-largest country in South America after Brazil, th ...

** ''Nothoprocta ornata ornata'' located in southeastern

, northern

, and western

** ''Nothoprocta ornata branickii'' located in central

** ''Nothoprocta ornata rostrata'' located in northwestern

* ''Nothoprocta perdicaria'',

Chilean tinamou The Chilean tinamou (''Nothoprocta perdicaria'') is a type of tinamou commonly found in high altitude shrubland in subtropical regions of central Chile.Clements, J (2007) Taxonomy All tinamous are from the family Tinamidae, and in the larger sch ...

, located in central

** ''Nothprocta pedicaria pedicaria'' located in north central

** ''Nothprocta pedicaria sanborni'' located in south central

* ''Nothoprocta cinerascens'',

brushland tinamou The brushland tinamou (''Nothoprocta cinerascens'') is a type of tinamou commonly found in high-altitude dry shrubland in subtropical and tropical regions of southern South America.Clements, J. (2007) Etymology ''Crypturellus'' is formed from th ...

, located in southeastern

, northwestern

Paraguay Paraguay (; ), officially the Republic of Paraguay ( es, República del Paraguay, links=no; gn, Tavakuairetã Paraguái, links=si), is a landlocked country in South America. It is bordered by Argentina to the south and southwest, Brazil to th ...

, and northern to central

** ''Nothprocta cinerascens cinerascens'' located in southeastern

, northwestern

, and central

** ''Nothoprocta cinerascens parvimaculata'' located in northwestern

* ''Nothoprocta pentlandii'',

Andean tinamou The Andean tinamou (''Nothoprocta pentlandii'') is a tinamou, found commonly in high-altitude shrubland, in the Andes of South America.Clements, J. (2007) Taxonomy All tinamou are from the family Tinamidae, and in the larger scheme are also rati ...

, located in the

of northern and central

, northern

, southwestern

Ecuador Ecuador ( ; ; Quechua: ''Ikwayur''; Shuar: ''Ecuador'' or ''Ekuatur''), officially the Republic of Ecuador ( es, República del Ecuador, which literally translates as "Republic of the Equator"; Quechua: ''Ikwadur Ripuwlika''; Shuar: ''Eku ...

, southwestern

, and western

** ''Nothoprocta pentlandii pentlandii'' located in western

, northwestern

, and northern

** ''Nothoprocta pentlandii ambigua'' located in southern

and northwestern

** ''Nothoprocta pentlandii oustaleti'' located in central and southern

** ''Nothoprocta pentlandii niethammeri'' located in central

** ''Nothoprocta pentlandii fulvescens'' located in southeastern

** ''Nothoprocta pentlandii doeringi'' located in central

** ''Nothoprocta pentlandii mendozae'' located in west central

* ''Nothoprocta curvirostris'',

curve-billed tinamou The curve-billed tinamou (''Nothoprocta curvirostris'') is a type of tinamou commonly found in high-altitude grassland and shrubland habitats in the Andes of South America.Clements, J. (2007) Etymology ''Crypturellus'' is formed from three Latin ...

, located in the

of southern

to northern

** ''Nothoprocta curvirostris curvirostris'' located in central

and northern

** ''Nothoprocta curvirostris peruviana'' located in northern and central

Etymology

''Nothoprocta'' comes from two Ancient Greek words: '' nothos'' meaning 'spurious, counterfeit', and '' prōktos'' 'anus'. This combination of words probably has to do with the tail being small and covered with body feathers, therefore looking fake.Gotch, A. F. (1995)

Footnotes

References

* * *Krabbe, Niels & Schulenberg, Thomas S. (2005)
"A mystery solved: the identity and distribution of Kalinowski's Tinamou (''Nothoprocta kalinowskii'')"
''Bulletin of the British Ornithologists' Club'' 125(4): 253-260< *Mata, Jorge R. Rodriguez; Erize, Francisco & Rumboll, Maurice (2006). ''A Field Guide to the Birds of South America: Non-Passerines'', HarperCollins, London. *Perrins, Christopher, ''ed.'' (2004). ''The New Encyclopedia of Birds'', Oxford University Press, Oxford. * {{Taxonbar, from=Q929516 Bird genera Taxa named by Philip Sclater Taxa named by Osbert Salvin