the 42, 46 types of the coccyx-chickens or Tinamus lives in means and South America (from Mexico to South-Argentina and South-Chile). It is very ancient birds, who acquired a severe external similarity with the hen-birds (Galliformes) in adaptation to a secluded life as ground-inhabitants.
Characteristics A row of anatomical characteristics (Z). B. the construction of the bone palate, amalgamation of several vertebras, no hook-fort-sentences for the ribs, basin-skeleton similarly that of the kiwi d. h. Seat and shame-legs didn't heal together completely, the coccyx-chickens delimit from all "modern" birds, so that they zoologist them an independent order of the birds assigns.
Coccyx-chickens admittedly have a well trained breastbone-comb and accordingly much flight-musculature; however, its heart is amazingly small in the relationship to the height, and also the blood-quantity is relatively low so that the supply of the breast-musculature with oxygen is not enough in order to make an ongoing flight possible. The tail-feathers (8-12) are very short and with many types even under the waiter-tail-decks hidden (therefore the name); also the wings remain short and round, they are quite powerfully curved. Coccyx-chickens have a very dense one and camouflage-colorfully brown and gray patterned plumage; Puderdunen and Bürzeldrüse are well developed.
Way of life The Tinamiformes usually live in forest and brushland-ships of the tropical America, however, some few types adapted themselves to the extended grass-levels and the cooler high mountain region-situations of the Andes. Coccyx-chickens occupy the ecological niche of the hen-birds approximately here. However, they never live from all sorts of fruits, seeds and insects, that they admittedly dig out with the beak (rather small, bent narrowly and easily downward) occasionally, like hen-birds, with its powerful feet free-scratches. A big crop and appendixes provide the preparation of the versatile food.
With danger, the coccyx-chickens bring themselves skillfully in dense undergrowth in security or shirk in ground-deepenings and Erdhöhlen; only with allergrößter threat, they fly surprisingly fast from it in order to occur again to hundred meters into protective coverage after little.
Reproduction In its reproductive-biology, coccyx-chickens essentially differ from most other birds. Although the sexes look same with most types, however, there are some, whose females become bigger than the male birds and have them also a more colorful plumage. Far most coccyx-chicken-types live unsociably, only few form smaller groups. To the incubation, the males give ongoing its melodic ones, sound-are liable reputations of itself and lure legebereite females into its precinct so. Several females put its eggs - shining and monochrome green, blue, brown or violet-red colored structures with almost symmetrically molded Poland - into a common ground-nest (altogether up to 12, more rarely also more eggs) and leaves the brood-business and the Aufzucht of the squabs the males alone. Probably, 1 females provide several brood-ready males consecutively with eggs with most coccyx-chicken-types. Rotbrusttinamu (Crypturellus variegatus) big with the 27-30 cm from the tropical forests of the eastern Andes-foothills (from Colombia and South-Venezuela to Peru and East-Brazil) however lays only 1 females one single egg into the nest (one, ungepolsterte ground-hollow, flattens) of the more insignificantly colored male. After 21 days of brood-duration, the far-developed Dunenjunge slips and runs around already some few hours after abandonment of the egg with the alto-bird. It picks up food independently from the beginning and shirks densely on the ground with danger on a warning-tone.
Coccyx-chickens usually pull open several young consecutively; as soon as the squabs became largely independent after approximately 3 weeks, the males lure, brood-partner renews to the deposit of the eggs here. The nests are hidden well in dense coverage mostly; only few coccyx-chickens mold a downright Nistmulde of plant-materials. With most types, the females put its eggs in ungepolsterte, already existing or self-built flat depressions. Graukehltinamu (Crypturellus boucardi) big with the 25-28 cm from the forest-areas of Mexico until North-Costa Rica and northwest-Colombia amount to the brood-duration only approximately 16 days, while often with the 7 types of the Rebhuhntinamus (type Nothoprocta) from the mountain-situations of the high-Andes the brood 3 weeks or lasts longer. These coccyx-chickens occupy the ecological niche of the snow-chickens of the northern hemisphere approximately.
Inambu big with the 42 - 43 cm or pampas-chicken (Rhynchotus rufescens) from the pampas of the southern Amazon-area until means-Argentina and Uruguay, that are hunted as "partridge" and are estimated because of its meat very much, erbrüten the males 7-9 chocolate-brown eggs.
System Coccyx-chickens become after its way of life and adaptation to the different habitats of the closed tropical forests on the one hand and the open savannas as well as. High mountain region-situations on the other hand in 2 subfamilies divided.
1. The forest-coccyx-chickens (Tinaminae) with the 3 types: Tinamus, Nothocercus (3 types from the cooler mountain-forests) and Crypturellus (see above).
2. Steppe-coccyx-chickens (Rhynchotinae) with the already mentioned pampas-chicken (Rhynchotus rufescens), the Rebhuhntinamus (type Nothoprocta) as well as the types Nothura, Taoniscus (small types of the Chaco and the pampas) and Eudromia, that 35-40 cm big Perlsteißhuhn, E. elegans, lives in the grassland-ships of Argentina and East-Chile sociably; it roams in small groups of few males and several females. The two types of the type Tinamotis, that 39 cm big Patagoniersteißhuhn, T. ingoufi, from Pat-agonies and South-Chile as well as the 43 cm long Punasteißhuhn, T. pentlandii, from South-Peru until North-Argentina, live in the moderately-cold and inhospitable regions of South America's southern highland-ships.
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