Taczanowski's tinamou (''Nothoprocta taczanowskii'') is a type of ground bird found in the eastern

Andes The Andes ( ), Andes Mountains or Andean Mountain Range (; ) are the List of longest mountain chains on Earth, longest continental mountain range in the world, forming a continuous highland along the western edge of South America. The range ...

Peru Peru, officially the Republic of Peru, is a country in western South America. It is bordered in the north by Ecuador and Colombia, in the east by Brazil, in the southeast by Bolivia, in the south by Chile, and in the south and west by the Pac ...

in the Junín,

Cuzco Cusco or Cuzco (; or , ) is a city in southeastern Peru, near the Sacred Valley of the Andes mountain range and the Huatanay river. It is the capital of the eponymous province and department. The city was the capital of the Inca Empire unti ...

, Apurímac,

Ayacucho Ayacucho (, , derived from the words ''aya'' ("death" or "soul") and ''k'uchu'' ("corner") in honour of the battle of Ayacucho), founded in 1540 as San Juan de la Frontera de Huamanga and known simply as Huamanga (Quechua: Wamanga) until 1825, i ...

, and

Puno Puno ( Aymara and ) is a city in southeastern Peru, located on the shore of Lake Titicaca. It is the capital city of the Puno Region and the Puno Province with a population of approximately 140,839 (2015 estimate). The city was established in ...

Regions.Clements, J. (2007)

Taxonomy

This is a monotypic species. All Tinamou are from the family Tinamidae, and in the larger scheme are also

ratite Ratites () are a polyphyletic group consisting of all birds within the infraclass Palaeognathae that lack keels and cannot fly. They are mostly large, long-necked, and long-legged, the exception being the kiwi, which is also the only nocturnal ...

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)

Etymology

''Nothoprocta'' comes from two Greek words, ''nothos'' meaning spurious or counterfeit and ''prōktos'' meaning hindpart or tail. Experts are unsure, however, they believe that this refers to the hidden tail of this Genus behind body feathers. Also, taczanowskii is the Latin form of

Władysław Taczanowski Władysław Taczanowski (; 17 March 1819, in Jabłonna, Lublin Voivodeship – 17 January 1890, in Warsaw) was a Polish zoologist and collector of natural history who explored the Russian Far East and northern Africa. He specialized mainly in orn ...

's name, used to commemorate him.Gotch, A. F. (1995)

Description

Taczanowski's tinamou is a dark, and finely-marked

tinamou Tinamous () are members of the order Tinamiformes (), and family Tinamidae (), divided into two distinct subfamily, subfamilies, containing 46 species found in Mexico, Central America, and South America. The word "tinamou" comes from the Carib la ...

. Its head and neck are grey with blackish crown and face markings with a pale greyish buff throat. Its upper parts are dusky with thin, buff stripes and inconspicuous brown barring with black and buff mottling on its wing-coverts. It has tawny flight feathers, barred blackish. Its breast is grey with buffy spots bordered black. The rest of its under parts are buff, barred dusky with a long, blackish, curved bill. The young are generally richer in brown color. The average size of this tinamou is .BirdLife International (2008)

Behavior

The species has a loud, cackling cuyy-cuyy voice when flushed. It frequently feeds on tuber crops, especially potatoes. Eggs and chicks have been collected in April and May and October. The male incubates the eggs and raises the chicks. The nest is located on the ground.

Range

The Taczanowsi's tinamou is found in the eastern

, or more precisely, ( Cordillera Oriental) in

, from Junín to

.Clements, J. (2007) In Peru, there are records from several sites in Apurímac,

and

, but it has not been recorded in the

Chincheros Chincheros is a town in southern Peru, capital of the province of the same name in the Apurímac Region. As of the last Census in 2012, Chincheros has a total population of 51,583. The inhabitants are mainly indigenous citizen of Chanka desc ...

/ Pampa valley area, northwest Apurímac, since 1970. The Wansu mountain range, southern Apurímac, has produced only one specimen (collected in 1977) and those from the northern

Kallawaya The Kallawaya are an indigenous group living in the Andes of Bolivia. They live in the Bautista Saavedra Province and Muñecas Province of the La Paz Department but are best known for being an itinerant group of traditional healers that t ...

mountain range in the

Puno Region Puno () is a department and region in southeastern Peru. It is the fifth largest department in Peru, after Cuzco, Madre de Dios, Ucayali, and Loreto. It is bordered by Bolivia on the east, the departments of Madre de Dios on the north, Cusc ...

were taken in 1871. It has been recorded from the Marayniyuq area,

Junín Region Junín may refer to: Places Argentina * Junín Partido ** Junín, Buenos Aires *** Junín Airport * Junín Department, Mendoza ** Junín, Mendoza * Junín Department, San Luis * Junín de los Andes, Neuquén Colombia * Junín, Cundinamarca * ...

, but there have probably not been any surveys since the last records in 1939. The species was recorded for the first time in

Bolivia Bolivia, officially the Plurinational State of Bolivia, is a landlocked country located in central South America. The country features diverse geography, including vast Amazonian plains, tropical lowlands, mountains, the Gran Chaco Province, w ...

in 1999, when one male was collected and three to four juveniles observed in Apolobamba Integrated Management Natural Area,

La Paz La Paz, officially Nuestra Señora de La Paz (Aymara language, Aymara: Chuqi Yapu ), is the seat of government of the Bolivia, Plurinational State of Bolivia. With 755,732 residents as of 2024, La Paz is the List of Bolivian cities by populati ...

Habitat

Taczanowski's tinamou inhabits high altitude grassland and shrubland at altitude . It may also be found at pastureland and arable land.

Conservation

Taczanowski's tinamou is currently listed as Vulnerable by the

IUCN The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) is an international organization working in the field of nature conservation and sustainable use of natural resources. Founded in 1948, IUCN has become the global authority on the status ...

. Their survival is threatened by degrading of its habitats caused by human activities, such as frequent burning of grassland, and cutting, burning and livestock-grazing in high-altitude copses and shrubby patches. The species is also hunted by people for food. There have been surveys of its high-altitude habitats, and measures have been proposed for their conservation such as regulate the use of fire, reintroduce old high-yielding agricultural techniques, restrict grazing, facilitate low-impact ecotourism and associated trades to generate income for the local people, encourage local people to take a leading role in land-use management and restoration schemes. It was also proposed to make social and political reforms to deal with existing land-right conflicts, and encourage sustainable use on a large scale. The species has been protected in Ampay Forest National Sanctuary, and in

n Apolobamba Integrated Management Natural Area. There are less than 10,000 adult birds left in an occurrence range of .

Footnotes

References

* * * * * {{Taxonbar, from=Q1089078 Taczanowski's tinamou Tinamous of South America Birds of the Peruvian Andes Taczanowski's tinamou Taczanowski's tinamou Taczanowski's tinamou