The tinamous are a family comprising 47 species of birds found in Central and South America. One of the most ancient living groups of bird, they are related to the ratites. Generally ground dwelling, they are found in a range of habitats.
The family Tinamidae consists of about 47 species in 9 genera. Although they look similar to other ground-dwelling birds like quail and grouse, tinamids have no close living relatives, and hence are placed in th...
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The tinamous are a family comprising 47 species of birds found in Central and South America. One of the most ancient living groups of bird, they are related to the ratites. Generally ground dwelling, they are found in a range of habitats.
The family Tinamidae consists of about 47 species in 9 genera. Although they look similar to other ground-dwelling birds like quail and grouse, tinamids have no close living relatives, and hence are placed in their own order, Tinamiformes. These taxonomic names are based on the Galibi word for these birds, "tinamu".
"Tinamidae" was defined as a branch-modified crown clade by Gauthier and de Queiroz (2001): "Tinamidae refers to the crown clade stemming from the most recent common ancestor of Tetrao [Tinamus] major Gmelin 1789 and all extant birds sharing a more recent ancestor with with that species than with Struthio camelus Linnaeus 1758 and Vultur gryphus Linnaeus 1758."
Of Gondwanan origin, tinamids are related to the ratites. Although the fossil...
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