From Opus

Great Tinamou
Photo: Gary Clark

Order: Tinamiformes

[edit] Description

Tinamous and Nothuras from South America.
Compact birds with small wings. Unlike their relatives the Struthioniformes they are able to fly albeit poorly. They also share:

• Three forward facing toes and a higher or absent hind toe
• A short tail
• A preen gland
• Usually no plumage differences between sexes
• A small head
• A short slender bill curving downward

[edit] Taxonomy

Tinamiformes is a monotypic order in the class Aves.