Red-legged Tinamou Crypturellus erythropus Scientific name definitions

Red-legged Tinamou, which is also known as Red-footed Tinamou in some literature, is widespread across the northern third of South America, where it is distributed over tropical and subtropical zones from north-central Colombia across Venezuela, the Guianas, and northeastern Brazil north of the Amazon. It generally occurs in open forest and thickets, as well as grassland with bushes and trees. Some seven subspecies are usually recognized, some of which might be in serious decline, and one of which is confined to the northeast Venezuelan island, Isla de Margarita. Usually found alone, the Red-legged Tinamou’s territorial vocalization is a fairly clear, three-noted soy-so-la, which has a slightly scolding quality. Little is known about the species’ behavior and breeding.

27·5–31·5 cm; male c. 485 g. Male nominate race has blackish forehead and most of crown, becoming deep rufescent brown on nape and hindneck; upperparts rufescent brown, rather uniform anteriorly, but obscurely barred with fuscous on rear back and, more boldly so, on uppertail-coverts, where blacker and strongly contrasting with paler buffy bars; upperwing similar, but slightly paler and duller brownish, coverts with some buffy-white notches on margins and narrow bars near tip, latter contrasting with broader black bar, the pattern well marked on greater coverts, markings being smaller and fewer towards anterior bend of wing (shoulder area), also smaller and weaker on tertials and especially on secondaries; face, side of head and down side of neck ochre-rufous; chin dirty white, throat white to rufescent, lower foreneck to chest mouse-grey, lower breast rufous-buff, rest of underparts pale buff, the lower flanks and undertail-coverts with black barring; iris brown; bill blackish above, pale below; legs pink or reddish. Female is similar to male but tends to have richer colours, differing most obviously in the strong and extensive pattern of broad black and narrower cinnamon-buff to whitish bars on lower back to uppertail-coverts and on upperwing, the upper back only weakly barred. Immature is similar to adult female. Races differ mainly in plumage tones, especially on crown and belly , and extent of markings: columbianus has white chin and throat, is more extensively grey on foreneck, lighter and less rich on abdomen, and has orange legs; margaritae is smaller, and greyer on upper back; cursitans is richer brown than columbianus on sides of head and neck, less heavily marked on secondaries; idoneus is like cursitans, but is generally paler, head and upperparts less rufescent, lower foreneck and chest lighter grey; <em>spencei</em> is slightly browner than previous race on upperparts , more distinctly browner on underparts, the breast is bright brown, and compared with nominate race is generally paler, the female with cinnamon-brown mantle becoming dark brown with buff barring on back and rear upperparts, usually with rufescent barring on lower foreneck and chest; saltuarius is reminiscent of C. kerriae, but much paler, has warm sepia mantle and back, white throat, cinnamon-buff breast, and tawny-buff ground colour on rest of underparts except for the whitish belly.

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Editor's Note: Additional distribution information for this taxon can be found in the 'Subspecies' article above. In the future we will develop a range-wide distribution article.

Tropical and lower subtropical zones to 1700 m, mostly in thorny thickets, open forest, second growth and dry to moist low deciduous forest; also grassland with bushes and few trees, open woodland and thorn-scrub.

Presumably sedentary.

Mainly seeds, also some berries, snails (Gastropoda) and arthropods. Five stomachs examined contained mostly seeds (of three sizes), with smaller numbers of berries, 25 snails (of two sizes), 37 butterfly pupae (Lepidoptera), two caterpillars, eleven beetles (Coleoptera) and one wasp (Hymenoptera) (3 Davies, S. J. J. F. (2002). Ratites and Tinamous: Tinamidae, Rheidae, Dromaiidae, Casuariidae, Apterygidae, Struthionidae. Oxford University Press, Oxford and New York. Close ). Forages on ground, sometimes in low bushes. Generally solitary.

Distinctive 3-note whistle , “who, who-ah”, final note higher than preceding ones.

Season Jan–Sept in Colombia. Eggs light glossy pinkish-brown, yellowish-pink or reddish-grey. No other information available.

Not globally threatened (Least Concern). Locally fairly common; apparently maintains low densities. Complications of systematics have led to some confusion with other forms. Race saltuarius known only from middle Magdalena Valley, in NC Colombia; seems to be extremely rare, but very little known. Race columbianus currently considered near threatened. Deforestation is the main threat in most of the species’ range.