The huayco tinamou, also known as waypu (Quechua), is a species of bird found on grassy mountain ridges in the Andes of Bolivia and Argentina.
Region
Central Andes
Typical Environment
Occurs in inter-Andean valleys, grassy mountain ridges, and arid to semi-arid ravines with scattered shrubs. It favors bunch-grass slopes, rocky gullies, and edges of dry scrub where cover and open foraging patches are interspersed. In Argentina it ranges into the Andean foothills of Jujuy and Salta, with similar habitat use. It typically avoids dense forest and very open treeless puna.
Altitude Range
1000–2800 m
Climate Zone
Highland
Ease of Keeping
Beginner friendly: 2/5
The huayco tinamou, also called waypu in Quechua, inhabits steep grassy slopes and ravines (huaycos) of the central Andes in Bolivia and northwestern Argentina. Like other tinamous, males incubate eggs from multiple females and care for the chicks. When flushed, it prefers to run but can burst into swift, low flight showing a rufous wing panel.
Temperament
shy and elusive
Flight Pattern
short rapid wingbeats with low, direct bursts
Social Behavior
Usually solitary or in pairs; small loose groups may form in non-breeding season. The male builds a ground scrape concealed by grass and incubates a clutch laid by one or more females. Chicks are precocial and follow the male soon after hatching.
Migratory Pattern
Resident
Song Description
Gives low, resonant whistles and mournful, fluty notes, often at dawn and dusk. Calls carry far across ravines and are used for contact and territorial advertisement.
Plumage
Mottled and barred brown upperparts with buff and black vermiculations; paler buff underparts with fine dusky barring. Neck sides and breast show dark spotting; throat is paler. In flight a warm rufous panel in the wings is often evident.
Diet
Feeds on seeds and green shoots of grasses and forbs, supplemented by fallen fruits where available. Takes a variety of invertebrates, including beetles, ants, and other insects, especially during the breeding season. Will also nibble bulbs or tender roots in dry periods.
Preferred Environment
Forages along grass clumps, scrub edges, and rocky gullies where cover is close by. Often feeds on open patches near ravines and along slopes with scattered shrubs.
