Systematics

Two subspecies recognized; the following diagnoses of the subspecies are from Blake (1977):

hershkovitzi, described as Tinamus osgoodi hershkovitzi Blake 1953; type locality San Adolfo, Río Aguas Claras, Acevedo, Huila, Colombia; 1500 m.

Occurs in the Andes of Colombia and of northeastern Ecuador.

Similar to nominate osgoodi, but wing coverts uniformly slaty gray like the back. Undertail coverts darker, more chestnut rufous, less ochraceous, the feathers more or less edged with black, but without dark vermiculation or speckling.

This subspecies is named in honor of Philip Hershkovitz, former curator of mammals at the Field Museum of Natural History, who collected the first specimens of this population.

osgoodi, described as Tinamus osgoodi Conover 1949; type locality Hacienda Cadena, Marcapata Valley, Cuzco Peru; 1000 m.

Occurs in the Andes of southeastern Peru and adjacent Bolivia.

See Detailed Description.

This species was named in honor of Wilfred H. Osgood, "for many years Chief Curator of the Department of Zoology in this museum [Field Museum of Natural History]" (Conover 1949).

The monophyly of the genus Tinamus is well-supported by analyses of both morphological and genetic characters (Bertelli et al 2002, Bertelli and Porzecanski 2004).

Within the genus, Tinamus osgoodi belongs to a clade with Tinamus solitarius (Solitary Tinamou) and Tinamus tao (Gray Tinamou) (Bertelli et al 2002, Bertelli and Porzecanski 2004).