Choco Tinamou (Crypturellus kerriae)

Choco Tinamou

Subspecies

Genus	Species	subspecies	Region	Range
Crypturellus	kerriae		LA	Panama, Colombia

Genus

The tinamous of the genus Crypturellus are usually notoriously difficult to see. Most species of this family are polygamous, with the smaller males performing the domestic tasks and the eggs are beautifully coloured. Tinamous exhibit exclusive male parental care. This type of care is rarely found in birds and only in tinamous is present in all species of the order. In polygynandrous species, males accumulate eggs from several females in at least two different ways: in some species females form stable groups and cooperate to lay the clutch for a male, sometimes even laying replacement clutches together. In other species, multiple females lay eggs in a nest, but they
do not form associations or travel together before or after being attracted by the male.

Physical charateristics

Smallish, plain, dark tinamou. Dark brown, with blackish crown, slate-grey sides of neck, whitish throat and inconspicuous fine barring on the upperparts. Female darker with coarser barring on wing-coverts and breast, and grey flanks. Red legs. Similar spp. Little Tinamou C. soui is smaller with greyish legs. Berlepsch’s Tinamou C. berlepschi is larger and blackish. Voice Low, faint, mournful, three-note whistle.

Listen to the sound of Choco Tinamou

[audio:https://planetofbirds.com/MASTER/TINAMIFORMES/Tinamidae/sounds/Choco Tinamou.mp3]

Copyright remark: Most sounds derived from xeno-canto

wingspan min.:	0	cm	wingspan max.:	0	cm
size min.:	25	cm	size max.:	26	cm
incubation min.:	0	days	incubation max.:	0	days
fledging min.:	0	days	fledging max.:	0	days
broods:	0		eggs min.:	0
			eggs max.:	0

Range

Latin America : Panama, Colombia. Crypturellus kerriae is a poorly-known species occurring in the southern part of Darien province, Panama, and Choco department, Colombia. It has rarely been recorded, and only a small number of sites are known. The population size is unknown, but it is heard regularly near Cana, Serrania de Pirre, Panama and Ensenada de Utria National Park, Colombia, with 10-15 birds heard from 3 km of trails in the latter. There were single records of individuals in the Serrania de Jungurundo, Panama in 1995 and 1997.

Habitat

It occurs in humid primary forest. The known sites include steep coastal forest in west Colombia and ridge-top forest at 1400-1500 m in Panama, with other records at intermediate altitudes

Reproduction

No data

Feeding habits

Like other Tinamous, the Choco Tinamou eats fruit off the ground or low-lying bushes. They also eat small amounts of invertebrates, flower buds, tender leaves, seeds, and roots.

Conservation

This species is Vulnerable because it is known from only a few locations within its small range where habitat is gradually disappearing. Its range and possibly small population are suspected to be declining, with none of the widely scattered subpopulations thought to exceed 1,000 mature individuals.
Vast areas of seemingly suitable habitat remain, but road construction, human settlement, timber extraction and mining are causing gradual reductions. The recent completion of a new road-bridge has made unprotected areas of coastal plain forest adjacent to Ensenada de Utria National Park accessible to settlement and associated threats. The Atrato valley, Colombia, is relatively accessible and, if the species occurs there, that population would probably be the most threatened owing to human settlement, and conversion to farmland and banana plantations. It is presumably hunted wherever humans are present. The completion of the Pan-American highway through Darien and the canalisation of the Truando and lower Atrato rivers, to make an inter-oceanic fairway, are currently on hold, but could have serious effects on the species.

Migration

Sedentary in all of its range, but not well known

Distribution map

Choco Tinamou distribution range map

Planet of Birds