Tinamu’s Resonance
Somewhere in Serra do Divisor, near the border between Brazil and Peru, a mysterious song had been echoing in the forest for years. Nobody knew where it came from (until now).
Only recently did a group of Brazilian researchers discover that the sounds were coming from an unknown species of bird. A strangely docile bird.
The species, named Tinamu’s Resonancereminded researchers of the legendary dodo, a flightless bird that became extinct in the 17th century under unusual circumstances. This is because it does not appear to have great survival capabilities.
The first recordings of vocalization, from 2021, did not result in visual encounters with the animal, largely because of the density and relief of the Amazon forests. But the song of the little bird echoed across the same slopes.
Confirmation came in November last year, when researchers used a synthetic reproduction of the song to attract two individuals. From then on, it was possible to formally describe the new species.
O Tinamu’s Resonance It has a rounded body, cinnamon-colored plumage and a dark stripe around the eyes. The study, in the scientific journal Zootaxa, estimates that there are around 2,106 copiesall confined to this mountainous massif.
More than the morphology, it was the behavior that surprised the experts. According to reports, the birds walk slowly through the clearings without showing signs of fear or escape in the face of human approach, something considered very rare among the Tinamús, who are usually elusive and cautious.
The team fears that future economic development projects in the region could irreversibly alter a territory that is still almost untouched and very sparsely inhabited. The discovery of the new species, the first of its kind described in more than seven decades, reinforces the idea that the Amazon continues to hide unknown fauna in its most inaccessible areas and highlights the urgency of protecting ecosystems where small environmental changes can dictate the disappearance of extremely vulnerable species — especially species as apparently naive as the dodo.
