Tinamous

Tinamous are a uniform group of some 47 species, which represent their own order, Tinamiformes. Tinamous inhabit one region, the American tropics. They are ground-dwelling, quail-like weak fliers that traditional taxonomy relates to one or more ratite orders. Most species are difficult to observe in their dense forest-floor habitats, but they are often detected by their haunting, whistled calls. The glossy appearance of their colorful eggs is also remarkable.