Darwin's nothura (''Nothura darwinii'') is a type of tinamou commonly found in high-altitude grassland in the southern Andes in South America.

Etymology

The name of the species is named after Charles Darwin, an eminent English naturalist, to commemorate him.

Taxonomy

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.

Subspecies

* ''N. d. darwinii'', the nominate race, occurs in the

Patagonian Patagonia () refers to a geographical region that encompasses the southern end of South America, governed by Argentina and Chile. The region comprises the southern section of the Andes Mountains with lakes, fjords, temperate rainforests, and gl ...

steppes of south-central Argentina * ''N. d. peruviana'' occurs in southern Peru, in the Urubamba Valley in

Cusco Region Cusco, also spelled Cuzco (; qu, Qusqu suyu ), is a department and region in Peru and is the fourth largest department in the country, after Madre de Dios, Ucayali, and Loreto. It borders the departments of Ucayali on the north; Madre de D ...

* ''N. d. agassizii'' occurs in the altiplano of southeastern Peru and western

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 ...

* ''N. d. boliviana'' occurs in the highlands of western

; Cochabamba, Chuquisaca,

Potosí Potosí, known as Villa Imperial de Potosí in the colonial period, is the capital city and a municipality of the Department of Potosí in Bolivia. It is one of the highest cities in the world at a nominal . For centuries, it was the location o ...

, Oruro, and Tarija Departments * ''N. d. salvadorii'' occurs in western Argentina

Description

Darwin's Nothura (Nothura darwinii) (15955704825)

The Darwin's nothura is approximately in length. It is similar to

spotted nothura __NOTOC__ The spotted nothura (''Nothura maculosa'') is a species of tinamou. This bird is native to grassy habitats in eastern and southern Brazil, Paraguay, Uruguay, and eastern and northern Argentina.Clements, J. (2007) Description The spotte ...

but more rufous with broader streaking below. Its upper parts are brown and streaked with buff, its lower parts are streaked with chestnut and it is black on its breast Its flanks are barred, and its crown is black with buff streaks, and its throat is white.

Behavior

Like other tinamous, the Darwin's nothura eats fruit off the ground or low-lying bushes. They also eat small amounts of invertebrates, flower buds, tender leaves, seeds, and roots. The male incubates the eggs which may come from different females, and then will raise them until they are ready to be on their own. The nest is located on the ground in dense brush or between raised root buttresses.

Conservation

The

IUCN The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN; officially International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources) is an international organization working in the field of nature conservation and sustainable use of natu ...

classifies this tinamou as Least Concern, with an occurrence range of .

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q1268546

Darwin's nothura Darwin's nothura (''Nothura darwinii'') is a type of tinamou commonly found in high-altitude grassland in the southern Andes in South America. Etymology The name of the species is named after Charles Darwin, an eminent English naturalist, to co ...

Birds of the Peruvian Andes Birds of the Bolivian Andes Birds of Argentina