Solitary Tinamou

Grausteißtinamu ( Tinamus solitarius )

The Grausteißtinamu ( Tinamus solitarius ), also referred to as Einsiedlertao or Macuco - Steißhuhn, a bird from the family of Tinamou is ( Tinamidae ). It is divided into two subspecies ( T. solitarius see and T. s pernambucensis ) in Central Brazil, living in the south-eastern Paraguay and northeastern Argentina.

Description

The adult birds reach a size 42.5 to 48 cm. Weight of up to 1500 g for the males and up to 1900 g for females. The tuft is black. The black top is narrow banded. The breast is gray. The belly is bright yellow back and wings are brown with darker banding. When the young birds, the top has different density, white polka dots, especially on the wings. The chicks are cinnamon. In the subspecies Tinamus solitarius pernambucensis the coloring tends towards a bright yellow. The harness is emphasized more on the neck. His voice consists of set monosyllabic tones, sometimes reminiscent of ringing tones.

Habitat and behavior

The Grausteißtinamu prefers moist, warm tropical and subtropical forests. But he is also to be found in regions with cold seasons on sandbanks. Virgin forests with undergrowth and with zersplitteten and uneven pastures he avoids. Each bird claimed a territory of 30 hectares of primary forest. It comes in heights 0-1200 meters in front of above sea level. His food, he prefers receives in the evening time, consists of seeds of diamond plants, spurge, bottle tree plants, berries and other small fruits, as well as beetles and other invertebrates. Occasionally, he also captured frogs. Grausteißtinamus be kept in captivity, where they reach an age of twelve to fifteen years.

Jungenaufzucht

The Grausteißtinamus have a polygamous lifestyle. The selection and the construction of the nest are the responsibility of the male. The nest is located in a depression on the ground and lined with leaves. In an interval of first set one day and three to four days later, six to fourteen greenish -blue to turquoise eggs. The male incubates the eggs for 19 days. The flight feathers of the chicks begin on the second day to grow. The youth spring dress comes after 25 to 28 days and after three months the birds are fully grown.

Endangering

The Grausteißtinamu has become quite rare due to overhunting and habitat loss. From the subspecies in Pernambuco in 1971 there were only 100 copies. He is often found only in individual protected areas. Large parts of its habitat shrink more and more, which is due to the expansion of cities, roads, agriculture, population and industrialization.