The white-bellied nothura is a species of tinamou found in dry shrublands in northeastern Bolivia, western Paraguay, and northeastern Brazil.
Region
South America
Typical Environment
Occurs in dry shrublands and open grasslands of northeastern Brazil, extending into western Paraguay and northeastern Bolivia. It favors semi-arid habitats such as caatinga, thorn scrub, and dry savanna mosaics with scattered cover. The species adapts to lightly grazed pastures and fallow agricultural fields where ground cover remains. It typically keeps close to low shrubs or tussocks for concealment.
Altitude Range
Sea level to 1200 m
Climate Zone
Arid
Ease of Keeping
Beginner friendly: 2/5
The white-bellied nothura is a ground-dwelling tinamou, part of the ancient palaeognath lineage that also includes ostriches and emus, though tinamous can fly short distances. Males incubate the eggs—often from multiple females—and lead the chicks after hatching. Its cryptic plumage makes it difficult to spot in dry scrub and grassland.
Temperament
shy and secretive
Flight Pattern
short rapid wingbeats with low, explosive flushes
Social Behavior
Usually solitary or in pairs, sometimes in small loose groups outside the breeding season. Nests are simple ground scrapes hidden under vegetation. Males perform all incubation and chick-rearing, often with clutches laid by multiple females.
Migratory Pattern
Resident
Song Description
Delivers soft, whistled notes that carry at dawn and dusk. The call is a clear, mournful series of piping whistles, often repeated at intervals.
Plumage
Mottled brown and buff upperparts with dark barring, contrasting with a clean white belly and paler throat. The crown and nape are streaked, and the flanks show fine barring.
Diet
Feeds on a mix of seeds, tender shoots, and fallen fruits, supplemented by insects such as ants, termites, and beetles. It picks items from the ground and low vegetation, often gleaning quietly under cover. Opportunistically takes small invertebrates after rains. Grit is ingested to aid digestion.
Preferred Environment
Forages on the ground in dry shrublands, caatinga thickets, and open grassland with scattered shrubs. Also uses field margins, lightly grazed pastures, and fallows where leaf litter and seed drop are abundant.
