Nothoprocta is a genus of birds belonging to the tinamou family Tinamidae. They inhabit scrubland, grassland and open woodland in western South America, particularly in the Andes. They are poor fliers and spend most of their time on the ground. Their diet includes seeds and insects. They nest on the ground, laying large glossy eggs. The eggs are covered with feathers when a potential predator is nearby.
They are medium-sized tinamous, 26 to 36 cm (10–14 in) long. They have strong legs and fairly long, downcurved bills. The plumage is mostly grey-brown with intricate black, white and buff markings. The birds have loud, whistling calls.[2]
Taxonomy
The genus Nothoprocta was introduced in 1873 by the English ornithologists Philip Sclater and Osbert Salvin. They designated the type species as Crypturus perdicarius von Kittlitz, 1830, the Chilean tinamou.[3][4] The genus name combines the Ancient Greek νοθος/nothos meaning “spurious” with πρωκτος/prōktos meaning “tail” or “rear”.[5]
Species
The genus contains six species.[6] A possible seventh species, the Kalinowski’s tinamou (Nothoprocta kalinowskii), is now believed to be junior synonym of Nothoprocta ornata branickii, the ornate tinamou.[7][8]
| Image | Common name | Scientific name | Distribution |
|---|---|---|---|
 |
Taczanowski’s tinamou | Nothoprocta taczanowskii | 
|
 |
Ornate tinamou | Nothoprocta ornata | 
|
 |
Chilean tinamou | Nothoprocta perdicaria | 
|
 |
Brushland tinamou | Nothoprocta cinerascens | 
|
 |
Andean tinamou | Nothoprocta pentlandii | 
|
 |
Curve-billed tinamou | Nothoprocta curvirostris | 
|
References
- ^ “Tinamidae”. aviansystematics.org. The Trust for Avian Systematics. Retrieved 2023-08-05.
- ^ Cabot, J. (1992). “Family Tinamidae (Tinamous)”. In del Hoyo, J.; Elliott, A.; Sargatal, J. (eds.). Handbook of the Birds of the World. Vol. 1: Ostrich to Ducks. Barcelona, Spain: Lynx Edicions. pp. 112–138 [135-136]. ISBN 84-87334-10-5.
- ^ Sclater, P.L.; Salvin, O. (1873). Nomenclator avium neotropicalium : sive avium quae in regione neotropica hucusque repertae sunt nomina systematice disposita adjecta sua cuique speciei patria accedunt generum et specierum novarum diagnoses (in Latin). London: Sumptibus Auctorum. pp. 153, 156.
- ^ Mayr, Ernst; Cottrell, G. William, eds. (1979). Check-List of Birds of the World. Vol. 1 (2nd ed.). Cambridge, Massachusetts: Museum of Comparative Zoology. p. 36.
- ^ Jobling, James A. “Nothoprocta”. The Key to Scientific Names. Cornell Lab of Ornithology. Retrieved 23 April 2026.
- ^ AviList Core Team (2025). “AviList: The Global Avian Checklist, v2025”. doi:10.2173/avilist.v2025. Retrieved 23 April 2026.
- ^ Krabbe, N.; Schulenberg, T.S. (2005). “A mystery solved: the identity and distribution of Kalinowski’s Tinamou Nothoprocta kalinowskii“. Bulletin of the British Ornithologists’ Club. 125 (4): 253–260.
- ^ Schulenberg, Tom (October 2006). “Proposal (#246) to South American Classification Committee : Eliminate Kalinowski’s Tinamou Nothoprocta kalinowskii from the list of South American species”. South American Classification Committee, American Ornithologists’ Union. Retrieved 23 April 2026.
