White-throated Tinamou

About the White-throated Tinamou

The white-throated tinamou (Tinamus guttatus) is a species of bird native to the Amazon rainforest of Brazil, northern Bolivia, southeastern Colombia, northeastern Ecuador, eastern Peru and southern Venezuela. The scientific name for the white-throated tinamou, Tinamus guttatus, originates from two different languages. Tinamus was the name given to the tinamou by the Kalina people. Guttatus means "speckled" in Latin. This may be in reference to the yellowish-white spots on a white-throated tinamou's lower back.

All tinamous are from the family Tinamidae and members of the infraclass Palaeognathae. Tinamous are the only members from their infraclass that aren't ratites, and can even fly, albeit poorly. All paleognaths evolved from prehistoric flying birds, and tinamous are the closest living relative of these birds. The white-throated tinamou is a member of the genus Tinamus, which consists of some of the larger tinamous, the white-throated tinamou being the smallest member of the genus. It was first described by Austrian ornithologist August von Pelzeln in 1863. It is a monotypic species, meaning it doesn't branch off into subspecies. Wikipedia →