Black Tinamou
The Black Tinamou (Tinamus osgoodi) is a species of ground bird found in humid foothill and montane forest in the Andes of South America. This threatened species is among the largest tinamous.
Taxonomy
All tinamou 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. The species was described in 1949 by Henry Boardman Conover based on a specimen from Cusco in Peru.
It has two subspecies:
- T. o. hershkovitzi: Almost entirely restricted to the Colombian Andes, where found at altitudes between 1,400 and 2,100 m (4,600 and 6,900 ft). It is known from the west slope of the East Andes in the Huila Department, and San José de la Fragua on the east slope of the East Andes in the Caquetá Department. Reports from the northern Central Andes in the Antioquia Department in Colombia, and the north-eastern Andes in the Napo and Sucumbíos Provinces in Ecuador likely also involve this subspecies.
- T. o. osgoodi: Found on the east slope of the Peruvian Andes in Cuzco, Puno, Madre de Dios, and Huánuco. It is mainly found at altitudes of 900 to 1,400 m (3,000 to 4,600 ft), but locally occurs up to 2,100 m (6,900 ft).
