Crypturellus reai

Crypturellus reai is an extinct tinamou (Tinamidae) from Quaternary deposits of Argentina, one of several fossil tinamous described from South American Pleistocene sediments. A ground-dwelling bird foraging on seeds, fruits, and invertebrates in open grasslands and scrub, it belonged to a lineage that has persisted since the Cretaceous. Tinamous are among the most primitive living birds, retaining a palaeognath palate. Its discovery extends the fossil record of the genus Crypturellus into the Argentine Pampas.