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 BrazilClements, 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

, 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

Tinamous