Aves - Thinocoridae

The Seedsnipes- *Avian Family Thinocoridae: Charadriiformes*

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Seedsnipes within South America and the Andes diverged in the last 20 MYA. Their closest relative, the plains-wanderer from Australia (Pedionomus torquatus, Family Pedionomidae), another unusual shorebird, separated from the seedsnipe lineage much earlier (30 to 40 MYA). Both groups are adapted to arid landscapes with sparse herb-grass cover.








Phylogeny of the Shorebirds (Sibley and Ahlquist 1990). 'M' indicates that sex-role reversal (male parental care) occurs within that lineage, in at least one species.

Two genera and four species of seedsnipe are recognized:

1. Rufous-bellied seedsnipe (Attagis gayi;
3 o'clock, sexes alike)

2. White-bellied seedsnipe (Attagis malouinus;
4 o'clock, sexes alike)

3. Grey-breasted seedsnipe (Thinocorus orbignyianus; male, 6 o'clock;female, 7 o'clock)

4. Least seedsnipe (Thinocorus rumicivorus;
male, 9 o'clock;female, 10 o'clock)

Seedsnipe and Plains-wanderer specimens held in the National Museum of Natural History, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, D.C.

Only one species of plains-wander is known (above, male, 11 o'clock; female, 12 o'clock).

Genus Thinocorus

smaller
low to intermediate altitudes
plumage: sexually dimorphic

Genus Attagis

larger

higher altitudes, upper alpine niches

plumage: sexually monomorphic

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