- Nothoprocta perdicaria
Identification
29·5–32 cm (11½-12½ in)
- Greyish-brown or sandy-brown to olive upperparts with dark and light streaks
- Elongated crown feathers, often raised
- White throat
- Greyish breast
- Buff belly
- Horn-coloured bill
- Yellow to brownish legs
Distribution
South America: found in Chile and western Argentina.
Introduced to Easter Island.
Taxonomy
Subspecies
There are 2 subspecies[1]:
- N. p. perdicaria:
- Semi-arid grasslands of north-central Chile (Atacama to Ñuble)
- N. p. sanborni:
Habitat
Dryish prairies, grassland and scrub. Open woodland. Fields and hillsides with low shrubs.
Behaviour
Breeding
Polygamous, one or more females lay 10-12 glossy in a scrape, covered with feathers when unattended. Incubation: c. 21 days, chicks buff with dark stripes, run soon after hatching and fly when half-grown.
Diet
The diet is mainly animal matter, taken from ground layer.
Movements
Resident with some local wandering.
Vocalisation
Polysyllabic whistle uttered mainly during the breeding season.
References
- Clements, J. F., T. S. Schulenberg, M. J. Iliff, D. Roberson, T. A. Fredericks, B. L. Sullivan, and C. L. Wood. 2018. The eBird/Clements checklist of birds of the world: v2018. Downloaded from http://www.birds.cornell.edu/clementschecklist/download/
- Handbook of the Birds of the World Alive (retrieved March 2019)
- BF Member observations
Recommended Citation
- BirdForum Opus contributors. (2025) Chilean Tinamou. In: BirdForum, the forum for wild birds and birding. Retrieved 14 January 2025 from https://www.birdforum.net/opus/Chilean_Tinamou
