The tawny-breasted tinamou is a type of ground bird found in montane moist forest. Their range is northwestern South America.
Region
Northern Andes
Typical Environment
Occurs in humid montane and cloud forests of the northwestern South American Andes, especially in Colombia and Ecuador with extensions into adjacent regions. It favors dense understory, bamboo thickets, and steep ravines within primary and mature secondary forest. Birds keep to the forest floor and adjacent edges, retreating into thick cover when disturbed. Local presence is patchy, tracking intact forest and reduced hunting pressure.
Altitude Range
1200–2800 m
Climate Zone
Highland
Ease of Keeping
Beginner friendly: 1/5
A shy, ground-dwelling tinamou of Andean cloud forests, it is more often heard than seen. As in many tinamous, the male undertakes incubation and chick-rearing, often for a clutch laid by multiple females. Its low, mournful whistles carry at dawn and dusk through dense montane forest understory.
Temperament
shy and elusive
Flight Pattern
short rapid wingbeats with brief, explosive flushes
Social Behavior
Usually solitary or in pairs, occasionally small family groups. Nests are simple ground scrapes hidden in dense vegetation. Males perform all incubation and brood care, a hallmark of tinamous, and may attend clutches from more than one female. Territorial calling is most frequent at twilight.
Migratory Pattern
Resident
Song Description
A low, mournful series of clear, whistled notes given at long intervals. Calls carry far through mountain forest and are often the only indication of presence. Alarm vocalizations are soft and brief before the bird slips into cover.
Plumage
Upperparts dark brown to olive-brown with fine mottling and vermiculation; underparts feature a rich tawny to rufous breast grading to grayer belly. Flanks are subtly barred; throat paler buff to whitish. Plumage is soft and cryptic, aiding concealment in leaf litter.
Diet
Feeds on fallen fruits and berries, seeds, and tender plant matter gleaned from the forest floor. Supplements with invertebrates such as beetles, ants, termites, and larvae, especially during wetter periods. Opportunistically takes small snails and other soft-bodied prey. Foraging is slow and deliberate, often pausing to listen before probing leaf litter.
Preferred Environment
Primarily forages on the shaded forest floor beneath dense understory, along trails, and at forest edges. It uses bamboo patches and thickets for both feeding and quick refuge. Steep slopes and ravines with deep leaf litter are frequently used.
