The seedsnipes are a small

family Family (from la, familia) is a group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or affinity (by marriage or other relationship). The purpose of the family is to maintain the well-being of its members and of society. Idea ...

, Thinocoridae, of small gregarious

wader 245px, A flock of Red_knot.html" ;"title="Dunlins and Red knot">Dunlins and Red knots Waders or shorebirds are birds of the order Charadriiformes commonly found wikt:wade#Etymology 1, wading along shorelines and mudflats in order to foraging, ...

s which have adapted to a herbivorous diet. The family is divided into two

genera Genus ( plural genera ) is a taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms as well as viruses. In the hierarchy of biological classification, genus comes above species and below family. In binomial ...

, ''

Attagis ''Attagis '' is a genus of seedsnipe, a South American family of small gregarious waders which have adapted to a vegetarian diet. These birds look superficially like partridges in structure and bill shape. They have short legs and long wing ...

'' and '' Thinocorus'', each containing two species. The family has a

South America South America is a continent entirely in the Western Hemisphere and mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere at the northern tip of the continent. It can also be described as the souther ...

n distribution, in the Andean and

Patagonia Patagonia () refers to a geographical region that encompasses the southern end of South America, governed by Argentina and Chile. The region comprises the southern section of the Andes Mountains with lakes, fjords, temperate rainforests, and ...

n regions. The relationships with other families within the order Charadriiformes are uncertain; it has been suggested that the plains wanderer of Australia, the jacanas and the painted snipes are their closest relatives. The plains wanderer in particular has a similar feeding ecology, although differs markedly in breeding biology. The family's common name is misleading, as they do not resemble true snipe, having short bills on small heads, and seeds do not form a major part of the diet.Fjeldså, J. (1996) "Family Thinocoridae (Seedsnipes)" ''in'' del Hoyo, J.; Elliot, A. & Sargatal, J. (editors). (1996). '' Handbook of the Birds of the World.'' Volume 3: Hoatzin to Auks. Lynx Edicions. One species ''Thinocorus rumicivorus'' is however known to feed on the fleshy flower petal appendages of '' Calceolaria uniflora'', a species of Scrophularaceae. In the process of feeding on these sugar rich appendages, they also pollinate the flowers. They resemble

grouse Grouse are a group of birds from the order (biology), order Galliformes, in the family (biology), family Phasianidae. Grouse are presently assigned to the Tribe (biology), tribe Tetraonini (formerly the subfamily Tetraoninae and the family Tetr ...

, quail and sandgrouse, only with long wings. The seedsnipes in the genus ''Thinocorus'' are smaller, ranging in size from a

sparrow Sparrow may refer to: Birds * Old World sparrows, family Passeridae * New World sparrows, family Passerellidae * two species in the Passerine family Estrildidae: ** Java sparrow ** Timor sparrow * Hedge sparrow, also known as the dunnock or hedg ...

to a snipe, whereas the genus ''Attagis'' are larger, the size of a ptarmigan. They have short legs (but long toes) and tails. The colour of their

plumage Plumage ( "feather") is a layer of feathers that covers a bird and the pattern, colour, and arrangement of those feathers. The pattern and colours of plumage differ between species and subspecies and may vary with age classes. Within species, ...

is generally

cryptic Cryptic may refer to: In science: * Cryptic species complex, a group of species that are very difficult to distinguish from one another * Crypsis, the ability of animals to blend in to avoid observation * Cryptic era, earliest period of the Earth ...

. There is some

sexual dimorphism Sexual dimorphism is the condition where the sexes of the same animal and/or plant species exhibit different morphological characteristics, particularly characteristics not directly involved in reproduction. The condition occurs in most an ...

in the

of the ''Thinocorus'' species, the males have grey faces, necks and breasts. Seedsnipes inhabit a variety of harsh environments, including

grassland A grassland is an area where the vegetation is dominated by grasses (Poaceae). However, sedge (Cyperaceae) and rush ( Juncaceae) can also be found along with variable proportions of legumes, like clover, and other herbs. Grasslands occur natur ...

s, grass

steppe In physical geography, a steppe () is an ecoregion characterized by grassland plains without trees apart from those near rivers and lakes. Steppe biomes may include: * the montane grasslands and shrublands biome * the temperate grasslan ...

s, semi-arid deserts and alpine

habitat In ecology, the term habitat summarises the array of resources, physical and biotic factors that are present in an area, such as to support the survival and reproduction of a particular species. A species habitat can be seen as the physical ...

s. The

rufous-bellied seedsnipe The rufous-bellied seedsnipe (''Attagis gayi'') is a bird in suborder Scolopaci of order Charadriiformes, the shorebirds. It is found in Argentina, Bolivia, Chile, Ecuador, and Peru. Taxonomy and systematics The rufous-bellied seedsnipe sha ...

ranges as far up as to the snowline (5500 m). Their 2–3 eggs are laid in a shallow scrape on the ground.

Species

References

External links

Seedsnipe videos
on the Internet Bird Collection {{Taxonbar, from=Q748145 * Taxa named by John Edward Gray