Transcript:

Today on Animal Fact Files we’re discussing the tinamous. Most of us here have heard of the emu, the cassowary, and the ostrich; but did you know there is another closely related group of birds that aren't mentioned as frequently? Say hello to the tinamous! Those of you who live from Mexico to Argentina are probably lucky enough to know about these fantastic birds, but I personally haven't seen them shown off in a single nature documentary! Well that ends today - at least if you count these videos as nature documentaries…

There are about fifty living, classified species of tinamous. Unlike the flightless ratites, tinamous are not entirely flightless. Still, they aren't strong fliers either and spend most of their time on the ground. Birds are separated into two clades (or lineages with a single common ancestor): Palaeognathae and Neognathae. There are flightless birds in both groups, like the rhea who is a palaeognath and the african penguin who is a neognath. Their separation is not about flight, it's about their mouth! The names imply as much: neognathae means 'new jaw' and palaeognathae means 'ancient jaw'. The differences between these two groups go into technical terminology, and they're debated, so we've left links in the description for those of you who want to research further. Put simply, tinamous are different from almost all the other over 10,000 bird species alive today, but it has nothing to do with whether or not they can fly!

Tinamous look like a pheasant or chicken, but they're not closely related to them. Confusingly, thinamous are sometimes referred to as partridges or quail, as well. While searching for videos of them, some of the videos were labeled “Chilean Partridge”. While they absolutely superficially look like these other types of birds, tinamous are more closely related to an emu than a partridge. They don't scratch at the ground with their feet while they search for food like a chicken, but they do make small hops for tempting fruits hanging just out of reach. Tinamous eat fruits, seeds, flowers, roots, and small animals like insects, worms, and frogs. They eat small meals whole but toss larger items around to break them down into more manageable bits. Just like a kiwi, they also dig in the dirt with the tip of their beak! They live from sea level to mountains higher than three miles (5,000m) up! Many are found in dense forests, but they also inhabit arid grasslands and forest edges. In fact, these cryptic birds are more often heard than seen. Here is an example of what they sound like.

Tinamous are threatened by habitat loss. They're also hunted for their tender meat and fabulous eggs. Tinamou eggs are arguably the most beautiful bird eggs in the world. They come in bright green, blue, and even purple, putting any Easter eggs to utter shame. Most tinamou species have stable populations, though just under a dozen are listed as vulnerable to critically endangered. Natural predators to tinamous include foxes, skunks, armadillos, birds of prey, and more. When threatened, they may run to the abandoned burrow of another animal and hide underground until the threat has passed! Tinamous are chicken-sized, averaging eighteen and a half inches (47cm) in length and weighing up to five pounds (2.7kg), though the smallest species only reaches about six inches (15cm) long and weighs about the same as a baseball (5 ounces). Female tinamous are larger than the males which is unsurprising in the bird world - female birds are often larger than their male counterparts; what is surprising, however, is that the ladies are more distinctly patterned than the males! Most birds are the opposite! It should be noted however, that, as a whole, tinamous are generally drab in color. This helps them blend in with their environment and avoid predation!

Depending on the species, some of these birds are described as solitary outside of the breeding season, but other species flock in groups numbering up to 100 members! Some tinamou females form groups of up to four members that may remain together for years and are seen together no matter the season. When a group of females come upon a male, he'll put on a display and use his voice to let them know he’s an attractive mate. Here's another call since it's easily become one of my favorite bird calls: (audio) The male mates with all the females in his territory and they each lay all of their eggs in his nest. After laying, they move on to find another male with which to mate - much like the rheas to whom they’re related. One hypothesis as to why tinamou eggs are so brightly colored is that their conspicuous nature forces the male to sit on them and stay put so they’re hidden from watchful eyes. This gives the ladies a chance to seek out other partners! There can be upwards of sixteen eggs in a nest, and the male does all the incubation himself for about twenty days! The chicks leave the nest and begin eating within their first day of life. Little is known about their early life stages, but it's believed tinamous develop quickly. It's unknown how long they live in the wild.

Most tinamous sleep on the ground, but some species roost in trees. When they roost in trees, they don’t do so like a songbird. Tinamous have three forward facing toes on their feet and may or may not have a single backward facing toe depending on the species. Songbirds and other members of their clade grip with their toes while they roost, but tinamous squat with their legs resting against the tree branch.

For more facts on tinamous, check out the links below. Give a thumbs up if you learned something new today. Thank you to our Patrons SpikeSpiegel93, Dad, and everyone else for their support of this channel! And thank you for watching Animal Fact Files!