The slaty-breasted tinamou or Boucard's tinamou is a type of tinamou commonly found in lowland moist forests of Mexico and Central America.
Region
Central America
Typical Environment
Occurs from southeastern Mexico through Belize and Guatemala to Honduras, Nicaragua, and northern Costa Rica. It inhabits humid lowland and foothill evergreen forests, swamp forests, and dense secondary growth, usually where understory cover is thick. The species keeps to the forest floor and favors areas with abundant leaf litter and nearby fruiting trees. It generally avoids open areas and heavily disturbed habitats.
Altitude Range
Sea level to 1000 m
Climate Zone
Tropical
Ease of Keeping
Beginner friendly: 2/5
Also called Boucard's tinamou, this shy ground-dweller stays hidden in dense lowland rainforest and is far more often heard than seen. Males incubate and raise the brood, often from a clutch laid by multiple females. Its low, mournful whistles carry at dawn and dusk through humid forests.
Temperament
shy and secretive
Flight Pattern
short rapid wingbeats; reluctant flier
Social Behavior
Usually solitary or in pairs, sometimes in small family groups. Nests are shallow scrapes on the forest floor, well-concealed among leaf litter. The male incubates and cares for the chicks, which are precocial and leave the nest shortly after hatching.
Migratory Pattern
Resident
Song Description
Gives low, mournful whistles or booming notes, usually in a slow series. Vocalizations are most frequent at dawn and dusk and can carry surprisingly far through dense forest.
Plumage
Upperparts brown to rufous-brown with fine dark barring; underparts with a characteristic slaty-gray breast shading to duskier belly. Throat pale to whitish with subtle contrast, flanks often warm brown. Feathers appear smooth and compact, suited to slipping through dense understory.
Diet
Feeds on fallen fruits and berries, seeds, and tender plant matter gleaned from the forest floor. Supplements its diet with insects, small invertebrates, and occasionally snails. Foraging is deliberate, often near fruiting trees where food accumulates in the litter.
Preferred Environment
Primarily on the shaded forest floor within dense understory, along trails, and at forest edges adjoining clearings. Also uses streamside thickets and secondary growth where cover remains thick.
