Berlepsch's tinamou is a type of ground bird found in moist forest in northwestern Colombia and northwestern Ecuador.
Region
Chocó–Darién of northwestern South America
Typical Environment
Occurs in humid lowland and foothill forests of northwestern Colombia and northwestern Ecuador. Prefers dense understory and leaf-littered forest floors in primary and well-developed secondary forest. Often keeps close to riparian corridors, swampy patches, and forest edges but remains under cover. Its range is patchy due to deforestation and fragmentation in the Chocó biogeographic region.
Altitude Range
Sea level to 1200 m
Climate Zone
Tropical
Ease of Keeping
Beginner friendly: 1/5
A shy ground-dwelling tinamou of the Chocó forests, it was named after German ornithologist Hans von Berlepsch. Like other tinamous, it belongs to the ancient paleognath lineage, making it a distant relative of rheas and ostriches. Males incubate the eggs and care for the chicks, often from multiple females.
Temperament
shy and secretive
Flight Pattern
short rapid wingbeats with low, whirring flush
Social Behavior
Mostly solitary or in pairs, moving quietly along the forest floor. Nests are simple ground scrapes hidden in dense cover. As in other tinamous, the male incubates and raises the brood, sometimes from a clutch laid by multiple females.
Migratory Pattern
Resident
Song Description
Gives a low, mournful series of whistled notes that carry through dense forest, often at dawn and dusk. Calls are simple but far-carrying, aiding contact over distance while remaining concealed.
