The ornate tinamou is a type of tinamou commonly found in the high altitude grassland and dry shrubland in subtropical and tropical regions of west central South America.
Region
Andes Mountains
Typical Environment
Found across the high Andes of Peru, Bolivia, northern Chile, and northwestern Argentina. It favors open puna grasslands, stony slopes, and dry shrublands with scattered rocks and bunchgrasses. The species also uses edges of Polylepis woodland and cushion-plant flats, provided there is low cover for concealment. It is largely sedentary within territories but may shift locally with snow cover and forage availability.
Altitude Range
3000–5000 m
Climate Zone
Highland
Ease of Keeping
Beginner friendly: 1/5
The ornate tinamou inhabits high Andean puna grasslands and dry shrublands, often above treeline where oxygen is thin and temperatures swing widely. Males incubate and rear the chicks, sometimes from eggs laid by multiple females. Its cryptic, vermiculated plumage makes it nearly invisible against rocky, tussocky ground, and it typically explodes into short, low flight only when flushed.
Illustration by Joseph Smit, 1895
Temperament
shy and cryptic
Flight Pattern
short rapid wingbeats followed by a brief glide; reluctant flier
Social Behavior
Usually seen singly or in small family groups, relying on camouflage and crouching when approached. Nests are simple ground scrapes hidden among grasses or rocks. Males incubate and care for chicks, often from clutches laid by multiple females (polyandrous/polygynandrous system).
Migratory Pattern
Resident
Song Description
Delivers low, hollow, whistled notes that carry over open slopes, often given at dawn and dusk. Calls are simple, plaintive hoots or piping whistles, repeated at intervals.
Plumage
Densely vermiculated and barred with buff, brown, and black, giving a finely mottled appearance that blends with rocky grasslands. Underparts are barred and scalloped; upperparts show intricate speckling. Throat is paler, often whitish to buff, with subtle facial patterning.
Diet
Omnivorous, taking seeds and green shoots of grasses and forbs, as well as berries when available. Supplements with insects such as beetles and ants, and other small invertebrates gleaned from the ground. Will probe lightly in soft soil and pick among stones and tussocks. Seasonal availability of seeds and arthropods influences local foraging.
Preferred Environment
Feeds on open ground in puna grasslands, stony flats, and shrubby slopes, using rocks and bunchgrasses for cover. Often forages along edges of low shrubs and near cushion plants where seeds and insects concentrate.
