The undulated tinamou is a species of ground bird found in a wide range of wooded habitats in eastern and northern South America.
Region
Amazon Basin and Guianas
Typical Environment
Occurs widely across eastern and northern South America, including much of the Amazon Basin, the Guianas, and adjacent lowlands of Bolivia and Peru. It favors lowland rainforest, riverine and seasonally flooded várzea forest, secondary growth, and forest edges. It also uses gallery forests within savanna mosaics and thickets along waterways. The species is primarily terrestrial, keeping to dense understory and leaf litter where cover is ample.
Altitude Range
Sea level to 1200 m
Climate Zone
Tropical
Ease of Keeping
Beginner friendly: 2/5
The undulated tinamou is a shy, ground-dwelling bird of tropical forests, where it is more often heard than seen. Males incubate eggs from multiple females and care for the chicks, a hallmark of tinamou breeding biology. Its low, mournful whistles carry far through the forest at dawn and dusk. Despite hunting pressure in parts of its range, it remains widespread in suitable habitat.
Temperament
shy and secretive
Flight Pattern
short rapid wingbeats with explosive flush, reluctant flier
Social Behavior
Usually solitary or in pairs, sometimes in small family groups. Nests on the ground in concealed sites. Males incubate clutches that may include eggs from multiple females and lead the downy chicks after hatching.
Migratory Pattern
Resident
Song Description
Gives a low, resonant, mournful series of whistled notes, often repeated at steady intervals. Vocalizations carry far through dense forest, most frequent at dawn and dusk.
Plumage
Overall warm brown to buff with fine, wavy black barring (undulations) across the back, wings, and flanks; underparts slightly paler with subtle vermiculation.
Diet
Feeds mainly on fallen fruits and seeds picked from the forest floor, complemented by leaves and tender shoots. Takes insects and other small invertebrates such as beetles, ants, and spiders. Forages methodically through leaf litter, often beneath fruiting trees.
Preferred Environment
Forest floor in dense understory, along trails, river margins, and at forest edges where fruit is abundant. Frequently forages near cover and retreats quickly when disturbed.
