Cerrejón marks a global first record of a Santa Marta Tinamou Chick

A Santa Marta tinamou chick was photographed for the first time ever after it was born at Cerrejón’s Wildlife Refuge Centre after three days of incubation. This is the only evidence found of a chick of this species, which is characterized by a limited ability to fly and being extremely timid and evasive, which has historically made it difficult to observe and study it.

Members of the company’s environmental team found an abandoned nest in a section of tropical dry forest. This is the preferred habitat of this species, found only in northern South America, and of which little is known about its reproductive behaviour. The eggs were taken to the company’s Wildlife Refuge Centre, where two chicks were born. After 30 days of observation, they were released into their natural habitat.

“This record is a milestone in science because it allows us to know a little more about the reproductive characteristics of this little-studied and little-known species, which is distributed between the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta and the Serranía del Perijá, two ecosystems of great ecological importance in the region. The Santa Marta Tinamou is one of the more than 1,900 bird species in Colombia, of which 256 have been identified at Cerrejón”, affirmed Daniel Dávila, superintendent of Cerrejón’s Biodiversity and Offsets.

In recent years, Cerrejón’s Wildlife Refuge Centre has rescued over 47,000 animals. In addition, more than 10,000 animals have been treated and returned to their natural habitat, showing the company’s commitment to stewarding and protecting the biodiversity of La Guajira.