Tinamou facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Tinamou Temporal range: Miocene to present
The Great Tinamou, Tinamus major
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Aves
Superorder:	Palaeognathae
Order:	Tinamiformes Huxley, 1872
Family:	Tinamidae G.R. Gray, 1840
Diversity
[[List of Tinamidae species|2 Subfamily, 9 Genera, 47 Species, 127 Subspecies]]

A tinamou is a type of bird that belongs to a special family called the Tinamidae. These birds are unique because they are the only species in their family. You can find 47 different kinds of tinamous living in Central America and South America. Tinamous are very old birds, meaning their family has been around for a long time. They are related to other large, flightless birds called ratites, like ostriches. Tinamous usually live on the ground and can be found in many different places, from forests to grasslands.

What are Tinamous?

Tinamous are birds that look a bit like chickens or quails. They are usually shy and hard to spot. Most tinamous live on the ground, but some can fly short distances. They have small heads, short wings, and strong legs. Their feathers often blend in with their surroundings, helping them hide from predators.

Where Tinamous Live

These birds live in various habitats across Central and South America. You can find them in:

• Tropical rainforests
• Cloud forests
• Dry scrublands
• Grasslands
• Mountain areas

Each type of tinamou is adapted to its specific home. For example, some live deep in the forest, while others prefer open fields.

What Tinamous Eat

Tinamous are omnivores, meaning they eat both plants and small animals. Their diet includes:

• Seeds
• Fruits
• Leaves
• Insects
• Small worms

They often scratch the ground with their feet to find food, much like chickens do.

Tinamou Family Tree

Tinamous are part of a very old group of birds called Palaeognathae. This group also includes the ratites, which are large birds like ostriches, emus, cassowaries, rheas, and kiwis. All other living birds belong to a different group called Neognathae.

Ancient Bird Relatives

Scientists believe tinamous and ratites share a common ancestor from a supercontinent called Gondwana. This means their family history goes back millions of years! Even though tinamous can fly a little and ratites cannot, they are still very closely related.

One interesting thing about tinamous is that they have a special bone in their chest called a keeled sternum. This bone helps anchor their flight muscles. Most ratites do not have this keeled sternum, which is why they cannot fly. However, tinamous share a unique palate (the roof of their mouth) with ratites.

Finding Tinamou Fossils

It's hard to find old tinamou fossils in South America. But the fossils we have found show that tinamous have been around for at least 10 million years. This proves they are truly ancient birds!

Images for kids

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  The moas Dinornis robustus and Pachyornis elephantopus, tinamous' extinct ratite cousins from New Zealand

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  Great tinamou

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  Cinereous tinamou

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  Brushland tinamou

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  Patagonian tinamou

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  Ventral view of the cranium of a red-winged tinamou

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  Elegant crested tinamou – one of the crested species

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  Darwin's nothura occupies high altitude grasslands

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  Slaty-breasted tinamous are found in tropical lowland forests

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  Many of the larger tinamous, like this great tinamou roost in trees at night.

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  Juvenile undulated tinamou in captivity

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  Tayras prey on tropical forest tinamous.

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  Chilean tinamous have been introduced to Easter Island.

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  The small-billed tinamou has been considered a suitable candidate for domestication

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  The solitary tinamou is listed under CITES

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  Dwarf tinamous have been badly affected by pastoral management

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  Spotted nothuras are still extensively hunted.

See also

In Spanish: Inambúes o Tinamúes para niños