Attagis is a genus of seedsnipe, a South American family of small gregarious waders which have adapted to a vegetarian diet.
These birds look superficially like partridges in structure and bill shape. They have short legs and long wings. Their 2-3 eggs are laid in a shallow scrape on the ground.
The genus was erected by the French ornithologists Isidore Saint-Hilaire and René Lesson in 1831 with the rufous-bellied seedsnipe (Attagis gayi) as the type species.[1] [2] The name Attagis is the word used for a game bird in Ancient Greek texts. It probably referred to the black francolin (Francolinus francolinus).[3]
The genus contains two species:[4]
| Image | Common Name | Scientific name | Distribution |
|---|---|---|---|
| Attagis gayi | Andes of South America south from Ecuador. | ||
| Attagis malouinus | southwestern Argentina and Tierra del Fuego. | ||
These are the larger of the four seedsnipe species.