Undulated Tinamou

The **undulated tinamou** (*Crypturellus undulatus*) is a species of ground bird found in a wide range of wooded habitats in eastern and northern South America.

## Contents

* 1Etymology
* 2Taxonomy
	+ 2.1Subspecies
* 3Description
* 4Behavior
* 5Habitat
* 6Conservation
* 7Footnotes
* 8References
* 9External links

## Etymology[edit]

*Crypturellus* is formed from three Latin or Greek words. *Kruptos* meaning **covered** or **hidden**, *oura* meaning **tail**, and *ellus* meaning **diminutive**. Therefore, *Crypturellus* means small hidden tail. The species name *undulatus* originates from the Latin word for **wave**, and refers to the wave-like pattern on its plumage[*citation needed*].

## Taxonomy[edit]

All tinamous are from the family Tinamidae, and in the larger scheme are also ratites. 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.

### Subspecies[edit]

* *C. u. manapiare* is only known with certainty from the vicinity of the Ventuari River in northern Amazonas State in Venezuela, but probably also occurs in southwestern Amazonas State.
* *C. u. simplex* occurs in southern Guyana, French Guiana (where only known from sight records) and northeastern Brazil (east of the Rio Negro and north of the Amazon River).
* *C. u. adspersus* occurs in Brazil south of the Amazon River, from the Tapajós River to the Madeira River.
* *C. u. yapura* occurs in southeastern Colombia, eastern Ecuador, northeastern and east-central Peru, and western Brazil (east to Rio Negro and the Purús River).
* *C. u. vermiculatus* occurs in eastern Brazil from Maranhão, Tocantins, and Mato Grosso and east.
* *C. u. undulatus* occurs in southeastern Peru, eastern and northern Bolivia, the Pantanal region in Brazil, Paraguay, and northern Argentina.

However, the exact distribution limits of some of the subspecies are unclear. Notably the population between the Madeira and Purús Rivers (between generally reported range of *C. u. adspersus* and *C. u. yapura*), and the population between the Tapajós and Araguaia Rivers (between generally reported range of *C. u. adspersus* and *C. u. vermiculatus*) appear not to have been assigned to subspecies.

## Description[edit]

The undulated tinamou is approximately 28 to 30 cm (11.0–11.8 in) in length, and weighs around 300 grams (0.66 lb). Depending on subspecies, it is overall brownish tinged grey to various extend, and has a strong, black barred to faint vermiculated pattern on the back and neck (for example, while *C. u. undulatus* is relatively rich brown and strongly barred, *C. u. yapura* is darker, more grey-tinged and only has faint vermiculations). It has a whitish throat, and the remainder of its underparts are olive-grey to buff with dark vermiculation on its lower flanks and vent. Its bill is black above and grey below. The legs and feet are grey, dull yellow or greenish.

## Behavior[edit]

The nest of the undulated tinamou consists of a depression on the ground, where the female lays around three glossy vinaceous pink or light grey eggs. The incubation time is 17 days in captivity. It feeds on small fruits, seeds and insects.

As other tinamous, the undulated tinamou is secretive, and more frequently heard than seen. The song, commonly given throughout the day, consists of a deep, three or four noted whistle, which has been described by the onomatopoetic *com-pra pan* ("buy bread" in Spanish) or *Eu sou jaó* ("I am Undulated Tinamou" in Portuguese).

## Habitat[edit]

The undulated tinamou occurs at altitudes of up to 900 m (3,000 ft). It occurs in a wide range of wooded habitats, ranging from dense, humid Amazonian forests, to dry, relatively open savanna-woodland. Although most of the range of the undulated tinamou is in the Amazon Basin, significant parts are in drier habitats such as the Cerrado (most of the range of *C. u. vermiculatus* is in the Cerrado region). Though generally considered resident, minor seasonal movements between habitats do occur locally.

## Conservation[edit]

Though heavily hunted in some regions, the undulated tinamou remains common in most parts of its range. The IUCN classifies it as Least Concern, and its range of occurrence has been estimated to 8,600,000 km2 (3,300,000 sq mi).