Red-winged Tinamou

Overview

The red-winged tinamou, or Rhynchotus rufescens, is a medium-sized ground-living bird found across central and eastern South America. It is a member of the tinamou family and serves as one of the closest living relatives to prehistoric flying birds, belonging to the group of flightless ratites.

Identification

• Length of 39–42.5 cm with a black crown and bright rufous primaries, which are most visible in flight.
• Underparts are light grey to brown with a whitish throat, cinnamon foreneck and breast, and possible black bars on the flanks.
• Horn-coloured bill with a blackish culmen; males produce a long ringing single whistle followed by shorter sad whistles.

Habitat

The species is found in southeastern, northeastern, and central Brazil, as well as eastern Paraguay, southeastern Peru, Bolivia, and eastern Argentina. It favours dry savanna, marshy grasslands, and forest edges at lower elevations, while at higher altitudes it frequents arid shrubland, pastures, and grain fields.

Diet

Diet varies seasonally, shifting from insects and small animals in summer to vegetable matter such as fruits, shoots, tubers, and bulbs in winter. Foraging behaviour includes jumping into the air to snatch insects from vegetation and can result in it becoming an agricultural pest on crops like cereals and rice.

Did you know?

Tinamous are the closest living relatives of prehistoric flying birds, and although they are classified as ratites, they retain the ability to fly, albeit weakly.