Cockles

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Cockles
Grautinamu (Crypturellus cinereus)

Grautinamu ( Crypturellus cinereus )

Systematics
Superclass : Jaw mouths (Gnathostomata)
Row : Land vertebrates (Tetrapoda)
Class : Birds (aves)
Subclass : Great Pine Birds (Palaeognathae)
Order : Cockles
Family : Cockles
Scientific name of the  order
Tinamiformes
Huxley , 1872
Scientific name of the  family
Tinamidae
Gray , 1840

The cockroaches (Tinamidae) form a common family of birds belonging to the ancient jaw birds (Palaeognathae) , which is the only one of the order Tinamiformes . Cockroaches are hidden birds of the forests, savannahs and grasslands of Central and South America. Their distribution area extends from Mexico to the south of Chile. In their habitus and body proportions they are reminiscent of guinea fowl. Despite their chicken-like shape, their closest relatives are, according to today's conception, ratites .

features

Cockroaches look similar to old world wild fowls, so that the Spaniards first called them perdiz ("partridge"); only later was the name tinamou derived from a Caribbean language in English , while in German the name “cocktails” became more common. The similarities to chickens are likely to have arisen in convergent evolution .

The size of the cocks varies depending on the species between 14 and 49 cm, the weight between 43 g and 1.8 kg. The physique is very compact with a slender neck, a slightly elongated head and a relatively short, downwardly curved bill. Some species have an erect head. The name “cocktails” comes from the abrupt end of the body, which is apparently tailless.

The plumage is mostly inconspicuous in color. Brown and gray tones predominate, often with inconspicuous stripes or spots. In some species there is a slight sexual dimorphism in the form that the stripes in the female are a little clearer or the plumage is a little lighter.

The legs are of medium length and stocky, with three forwards and one backwards toe (so-called anisodactyly ). With these you can run quite quickly. Cocoons spend almost their entire lives on the ground. Although they can fly, they probably make less use of their wings than any other flightable bird. For a relatively heavy bird, the wings are surprisingly short. They allow a heavy flight with fast wing beats. Because the tail is extremely short and therefore cannot serve as a rudder, cockroaches do not always manage to avoid obstacles. It is not uncommon for an attempt to escape to end in a collision with the next tree trunk, which can also lead to the death of the bird. The flights only run over short distances of no more than 500 m.

Yellow-footed Sinamu ( Crypturellus noctivagus )

Coons are muscular but have hearts that are the smallest of all birds in relation to their size. These physiological peculiarities ensure that cockroaches tire quickly and cannot hold out long flights or runs.

Cockroaches are one of the few bird orders whose representatives have a penis that can be turned out ( penis protrudens ).

voice

Most cockroaches make very monotonous noises, which are nevertheless melodious and far-reaching. The organ and flute-like tones are one of the characteristic sounds of the rainforests of South America. The forest dwellers call in lower altitudes than the steppe dwellers. Some cocoon species are so similar in appearance that the sounds they make are the most important distinguishing features.

A startled cockchafer gives a high-pitched scream that is piercing and far less melodious.

distribution

The cocktails are found in South and Central America . Most species inhabit the tropical lowlands of South America east of the Andes , to the south about to Paraguay . However, some species extend to central and southern Argentina ( Patagonia ), to Chile , and to the north to central and northeastern Mexico .

One species was naturalized on Easter Island . Attempts from the beginning of the 20th century to make cockroaches at home as game game in Central Europe and North America have failed. In each case in the first winter all naturalized birds perished.

habitat

Many species live in dense tropical rainforests and their secondary stages, from the lowlands to the lower mountain ranges. Overall, however, they colonize a wide range of habitats, including dry forests , savannas and open bush and grasslands. The Chilean Tinamou ( Nothoprocta perdicaria ) colonized grain fields, the Puna Tinamou ( Tinamotis pentlandii ) in the Andes the Pune above 4000 m above sea level.

Way of life

activity

Rotkehltinamu ( Crypturellus strigulosus )

Although some species are quite common, the cockles are rarely seen. They are shy and mostly live hidden in the undergrowth. When a person or potential enemy is approaching, they remain motionless, and only when the proximity becomes very threatening do the birds flee. This escape takes place either continuously or by suddenly flying open, whereby the wings make an almost explosive noise and the bird emits a loud scream. This loud and unexpected escape frightens a potential predator, which prevents it from immediately chasing after the slow bird.

Cockroaches live solitary or in groups, depending on the species. As a rule, the solitary species are forest-dwelling species. For the others, the associations do not have a particularly developed social organization and there is little interaction between the members of the group. All cocks are diurnal. At night they sleep in the protection of bushes and only exceptionally on low branches.

nutrition

Cockroaches are omnivores . They feed on plant materials of various kinds ( fruits , seeds , shoots , leaves , buds , flowers , roots , tubers ) as well as on small invertebrates ( ants , termites , beetles , locusts , insect larvae , snails , earthworms ). The larger species occasionally eat small vertebrates such as lizards , frogs and mice . It is true of all cocktails that they are predominantly herbivores and animal food always makes up the smaller proportion.

While all cockroaches are omnivorous, differences have been identified in the food they prefer. Fruits make up the majority of the grouse's diet. The genera Nothura , Nothoprocta and Eudromia prefer seeds and subterranean plant parts, while the cocks of the genus Tinamotis mostly eat the green parts of the plants.

Reproduction

The cocoon species that live in the tropical forest are largely independent of seasonal factors in their breeding season and breed in most months of the year. The cockroaches of the savannah and grasslands are dependent on the beginning of breeding on the rainy season and other climatic factors.

When it comes to reproduction, cockroaches show many similarities with the related rheas . Among the numerous species there are many deviating behaviors in detail, so that the process described below applies to most, but not necessarily for all species in every point.

White-throated tinamus eggs ( Tinamus guttatus )
Spotted cocklef's eggs ( Nothura maculosa )

Coons are territorial. During the breeding season, the males set up territories that they mark out by shouting loudly. If another male comes into the area, there is a fight in which wings and legs are used. The calls lure females into the area. The males are polygamous and mate with all females that find the territory.

When a nest is built, it is always on the ground. However, only some species build a proper nest, while most simply lay their eggs on the unprepared ground. Nests are round and made of grass and earth. The eggs are always laid under the protection of a bush or tuft of grass so that they are invisible from afar.

The eggs are very attractively colored and have a porcelain-like shiny shell. There are several colors: green, blue, turquoise, purple, violet, gray, brown and yellow. Usually the eggs are monochrome, only with the three- toed cockles ( Tinamotis ) they have small spots. The use of these bright colors is not clear; on the contrary, such conspicuous eggs seem to attract predators. However, the gloss disappears during the brood, so that the colors are much more dull before hatching.

After laying the eggs, the females leave the territory of the male. You are now trying to find another male that is mature for reproduction and to mate with this one too. Since all females lay in one nest, there can ultimately be up to sixteen eggs in the nest. The incubation period is quite short, between sixteen and twenty days. The male breeding alone behaves completely or almost completely silently during this time. When it has to leave the clutch to look for food, it covers the eggs with leaves for this time. As long as he is sitting on the eggs, the male remains absolutely motionless and sometimes does not move even when touched by a potential enemy. In other cases it tries to simulate an injury and thus lure an enemy away from the nest.

When the boys hatch, they wear a light-colored down dress with dark spots. After only a few hours they are able to walk around and eat on their own. In the first few weeks of life, their diet consists largely of insects. Often the father helps by pecking the animals and putting them in front of his young. Cockroach chicks are almost defenseless at the mercy of the numerous enemies; Although they hide under the father's plumage when danger threatens, the mortality rate is extremely high. To counteract this danger, cockroaches grow extremely quickly - they reach full size in just twenty days. Quail tinamus ( Nothura ) are sexually mature at only 57 days; however, this is a theoretical quantity, because in practice the first mating almost never takes place before the age of one.

Only twenty days after hatching, the young are independent enough to leave their father. If the breeding season is not over yet, the male starts again with calls to attract females again and, if necessary, to raise more young.

Humans and cockles

Attempts to release cockroaches as huntable game in European and North American forests have always failed because the animals were unable to adapt to the climate. A cocoon species has never been domesticated either, although they are easy to keep in captivity.

Certain species can cause damage because they invade and feed on grain fields. On the other hand, the same species also eat insect pests in the fields, so it is not possible to precisely determine the relationship between the benefit and the harm.

Although some species are among the most common birds in South America, most of them live shy and hidden in the Amazon rainforest. Due to the deforestation of the South American forests, these species are of course increasingly endangered. They are also hunted for their meat. This has a tradition especially with many Indian peoples , whose hunters can imitate the calls of the cocktails in order to attract the birds. But shot cocks are also often sold in large numbers in urban markets.

Fossil history

The relationship between the cockles and ratites is concluded solely from morphological features and molecular genetic analyzes. Unfortunately, there are no known fossil finds that could provide information about common ancestors. The oldest fossils that can be attributed to the cockroaches come from the Miocene and can be assigned to the genus Eudromia, which still exists today . For the subsequent period, the Pliocene , are Eudromia , Nothura and the now extinct genus Querandiornis occupied.

Systematics

White-throated Sinamu ( Tinamus guttatus )

Thanks to morphological and molecular genetic analyzes, there is no longer any doubt that cockroaches are actually part of the closest relatives of ratites . Indications for the relationship can be found both in the structure of the DNA and the protein proteins as well as in the structure of their tongue. In the past, they were counted among the hens because of their external resemblance to guinea fowl . Today it is common to view the cockles as an order Tinamiformes with a single family Tinamidae.

However, there is also a tendency to classify the cocks entirely among the ratites.

Some experts want to have identified the sister group of the rheas in them , others came to the result of a DNA comparison that they are the sister group of the extinct New Zealand moas (Dinornithiformes).

It is customary to subdivide the cocktails into the two subfamilies of the wood grouse (Tinaminae) and the steppe cockchafer (Rhynchotinae, sometimes also Nothurinae). Mainly the wood grouse live on the ground of tropical rainforests , the steppe cockle however in more open habitats. The most important distinguishing feature, however, is the position of the nostrils, which in the Rhynchotinae are at the base of the beak, but in the Tinaminae are approximately in the middle of the beak. The subdivision is very old, but has been repeatedly confirmed. In contrast, the terms Tinamus and Taos do not stand for systematic groups; "Tinamus" is mostly used synonymously for coconut grouse, while "Taos" are mainly large species.

At present 48 species in 9 genera are included in the cocktails. Especially the genus Crypturellus with its 23 described species causes problems here. Many of the species can hardly be distinguished from one another, while others are very varied. A detailed examination of the species that has not yet been carried out could result in the number of species still having to be adjusted downwards or upwards.

Based on the work by Bertelli & Porzecanski 2004 already mentioned, the relationships between the cockchildren can be shown as in the following cladogram :

  Tinamidae 
  Tinaminae   

 Nothocercus


  NN   

 Crypturellus


   

 Tinamus




  Rhynchotinae   
  NN   

 Tinamotis


   

 Eudromia



  NN   

 Rhynchotus


  NN   

 Nothoprocta


  NN   

 Nothura


   

 Taoniscus







Danger

According to the IUCN red list , the Magdalenatinamu is critically endangered and the Colombian Tinamu is critically endangered. Kerrtinamu , Taczanowski partridge , quail partridge and peacock partridge are classified as endangered, browne tinamu and yellow-footed tinamu as low endangered.

attitude

Cockroaches are considered to be easy-to-care for birds. However, they are comparatively seldom kept in zoological gardens outside of their home. Attempts were made towards the end of the 19th and the beginning of the 20th century to naturalize the temperature - sensitive red-winged pampa chicken , which in Central Europe can also hibernate outdoors, as hunting game. For this purpose, the red-winged pampa chicken was bred in large numbers in pheasantries, especially in France.

In zoos has a Solitary Tinamou already reached an age of 15 years.

supporting documents

literature

  • Josep del Hoyo et al .: Handbook of the Birds of the World. Volume 1: Ostrich to Ducks. Lynx Edicions, 1992, ISBN 84-87334-10-5 .
  • Stephen J. Davies: Ratites and Tinamous. Oxford University Press, 2002, ISBN 0-19-854996-2 .
  • Douglas F. Stotz , JW Fitzpatrick, TA Parker III, DK Moskovits: Neotropical birds: ecology and conservation. University of Chicago Press, 1996.

Web links

Commons : Coons  - Album with pictures, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ a b Christopher M. Perrins (ed.): The BLV encyclopedia birds of the world. Translated from the English by Einhard Bezzel. BLV, Munich / Vienna / Zurich 2004, ISBN 978-3-405-16682-3 , p. 48 (title of the original English edition: The New Encyclopedia Of Birds. Oxford University Press, Oxford 2003).
  2. ↑ David W. Winkler, Shawn M. Billerman, Irby J. Lovette: Bird Families of the World: A Guide to the Spectacular Diversity of Birds. Lynx Edicions (2015), ISBN 978-8494189203 . Page 38 and 39.
  3. ↑ Mitchell, Llamas, Soubrier, Rawlence, Worthy, Wood, Lee & Cooper. 2014. Ancient DNA reveals Elephant Birds and Kiwi are Sister Taxa and Clarifies Ratite Bird Evolution. Science . 344: 898-900. DOI: 10.1126 / science.1251981 .
  4. ↑ Sara Bertelli, Ana Luz Porzecanski: Tinamou (Tinamidae) systematics: a preliminary combined analysis of morphology and molecules . In: Ornitologia Neotropical , 2004, Vol. 15 (Supp.), Pp. 1-8
  5. ↑ W. Grummt, H. Strehlow (Ed.): Zoo animal keeping birds . Verlag Harri Deutsch, Frankfurt am Main 2009, ISBN 978-3-8171-1636-2 . P. 57.
  6. ↑ W. Grummt, H. Strehlow (Ed.): Zoo animal keeping birds . Verlag Harri Deutsch, Frankfurt am Main 2009, ISBN 978-3-8171-1636-2 . P. 58.
This version was added to the list of articles worth reading on February 17, 2006 .