Animalia Life

Rhynchotus rufescens
SUBFAMILY
Rhynchotinae
TAXONOMY
Rhynchotus rufescens Temminck, 1815, Sгo Paulo, Brazil. Four subspecies.
OTHER COMMON NAMES
French: Tinamou isabelle; German: Pampahuhn; Spanish: Tinamъ Alirrojo.
PHYSICAL CHARACTERISTICS
16 in (41 cm), 1.8 lb (830 g). Female slightly larger. Black patch on crown; rufous primaries. Light grayish brown to whitish underneath. May be black barring on flanks, abdomen, and vent.
DISTRIBUTION
Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Paraguay, and Uruguay.
HABITAT
At low altitudes, below 3,300 ft (1,000 m), it lives in damp grassland and woodland edges; at higher altitudes it is found in semiarid scrub and cereal fields.
BEHAVIOR
The call, given only by males, is a long, ringing single whistle followed by shorter, mournful whistles. The birds live dispersed in the dense vegetation, and are most active in the heat of the day.
FEEDING ECOLOGY AND DIET
It is sedentary, feeding on the ground on seeds, tubers, and fruit. In the summer it takes more animal food, including earthworms, termites, and other insects. It digs for food with its bill, and so is unpopular on newly sown cropland.
REPRODUCTIVE BIOLOGY
The red-winged tinamou has many displays, the male attracting one or more females by follow feeding, and always accompanies the female to the nest when she is to lay. He alone incubates the eggs and broods the chicks.
CONSERVATION STATUS
Not threatened.
SIGNIFICANCE TO HUMANS
A popular game bird and hunted out in some regions, but elsewhere common. Because it will live in cropland it has extended its range alongside agricultural development.

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