The thicket tinamou or rufescent tinamou is a type of tinamou commonly found in moist forests in subtropical and tropical central Mexico.
Region
Mesoamerica
Typical Environment
The thicket tinamou ranges from southeastern Mexico south through Belize and Guatemala into parts of Honduras and Nicaragua, reaching northwestern Costa Rica. It inhabits lowland and foothill evergreen and semi-evergreen forests, dense thickets, and second growth. The species favors areas with heavy understory and abundant leaf litter for cover and foraging. It tolerates some habitat disturbance and often persists along edges, plantations, and overgrown clearings near intact forest.
Altitude Range
0–1500 m
Climate Zone
Tropical
Ease of Keeping
Beginner friendly: 2/5
Also called the rufescent tinamou, this shy ground-dweller is more often heard than seen, giving soft, mournful whistles at dawn and dusk. Like other tinamous, the male incubates the eggs—often laid by multiple females in the same nest—and then raises the chicks alone. It prefers dense thickets and secondary growth where it slips quietly through leaf litter, rarely taking to the wing.
egg of Crypturellus cinnamomeus - MHNT
Temperament
shy and skulking
Flight Pattern
short rapid wingbeats in low, explosive bursts
Social Behavior
Usually solitary or in pairs; small family groups may form after hatching. Nests are on the ground in dense cover, and males incubate clutches that may include eggs from multiple females. Chicks are precocial and follow the male shortly after hatching.
Migratory Pattern
Resident
Song Description
A series of low, mournful, whistled notes that carry surprisingly far through dense vegetation. Calls are most frequent at dawn and dusk and may be answered by nearby individuals.
Plumage
Overall rufescent-cinnamon with darker mottling and fine barring on the upperparts; underparts warm cinnamon to buff with barred flanks. Crown and nape darker, often with subtle vermiculations; throat paler to grayish. Feathers are smooth and compact, aiding a rounded, chicken-like profile.
Diet
Feeds primarily on fallen fruits and seeds picked from the forest floor. Supplements this with insects, spiders, and other small invertebrates, especially during the breeding season. Will also take tender shoots and buds when available. Its opportunistic diet allows it to exploit edges and secondary growth.
Preferred Environment
Forages in dense understory, along trails, and in leaf-littered thickets where cover is close at hand. Often uses forest edges, plantations, and overgrown clearings adjacent to woodland. Stays mostly on the ground, moving carefully and silently.
