Walking kinematics parameters in some paleognathous and neognathous neotropical birds

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Abourachid, Annick | Höfling, Elizabeth | Renous, Sabine

Edité par CCSD -

The walking parameters of the tinamous (Tinamus solitarius, Crypturellus obsoletus and Rhynchotus rusfescens) and cariamids (Cariama cristata and Chunga burmeisteri ) were studied with the aim of verifying whether the duration of the swing phase is a discriminant parameter for paleognathous and neognathous birds. Tinamous are paleognathous birds as are the ratites, whereas the cariamids are neognathous birds sharing a cursorial adaptation with the large ratites. Osteological measurements of the long bones of the hind limbs, and frame by frame analysis of high speed video records of the birds walking under usual conditions, allowed for comparing duration of the swing phase in two functional categories: birds with long stretched-hind limbs versus those with short flexed-limbs. In addition were compared birds of two distinct phylogenetic groups: Neognathae vs Palaeognathae. Results indicate that there is a correlation between the duration of the swing phase and two studied clades, the paleognathous birds having a longer swing phase duration than neognathous birds belonging to the same functional categories. However, this parameter alone does not allow for discriminating between groups. The functional categories are also correlated to the duration of the swing phase as flexed-limb birds have a shorter swing phase than the stretched-limb ones. These data are congruent with several recent phylogenetic analysis results, placing the Tinamidae as a sister group of ratites within the Palaeognathae taxon.

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