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Brown Tinamou

Crypturellus obsoletus

Least Concern · IUCN Red List

LCLeast ConcernInvertebratesForestScrapeLarge · 443 g
Brown Tinamou (Crypturellus obsoletus), photo 1
Photo: vinicius_s_domingues · CC BY 4.0
Brown Tinamou (Crypturellus obsoletus), photo 2
Photo: agujaceratops · CC BY 4.0
Brown Tinamou (Crypturellus obsoletus), photo 3
Photo: filipeprates · CC BY 4.0
Brown Tinamou (Crypturellus obsoletus), photo 4
Photo: vinicius_s_domingues · CC BY 4.0
Brown Tinamou (Crypturellus obsoletus), photo 5
Photo: agujaceratops · CC BY 4.0
Brown Tinamou (Crypturellus obsoletus), photo 6
Photo: filipeprates · CC BY 4.0
Brown Tinamou (Crypturellus obsoletus), photo 7
Photo: filipeprates · CC BY 4.0
Brown Tinamou (Crypturellus obsoletus), photo 8
Photo: filipeprates · CC BY 4.0

What the Brown Tinamou sounds like

Sonogram of the Brown Tinamou: time runs left to right, pitch bottom to top, and the brighter the mark the louder the sound.
Recorded by Niels Krabbe · Call · Morona-Santiago: e-slope Cord. de Cutucú: Uuntsuants, Ecuador · CC BY-SA 4.0 · via xeno-canto

ID tip

The brown tinamou is approximately 25 to 30 cm (9.8–11.8 in) in length and it weighs about 350 to 550 g (12–19 oz). Depending on the subspecies involved, the upperparts vary from dark sooty-brown to bright chestnut and the underparts, which usually are paler than the upperparts, vary from chestnut to light ochraceous. The subspecies griseiventris is unique in having pale buff-grey underparts. All subspecies can be separated from the superficially similar little tinamou by the greyish (rather than whitish) throat. Females are typically larger and more rufescent than the males.

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

When to see the Brown Tinamou

One bar for each month, and every month is filled: this bird is recorded here in all twelve. The wide bar is October, the month with the most records.

Where to see the Brown Tinamou

Regular rangeRare visitor

The map shades 7 countries with regular records, and 2 more in a lighter tone where the bird turns up only as a stray. Everything unshaded has no records. Countries are listed below the map.

Brazil Peru Argentina Bolivia Paraguay Venezuela Uruguay

Recorded as a rare visitor in Colombia, Ecuador.

About the Brown Tinamou

The brown tinamou is a brownish ground bird found in humid lowland and montane forest in tropical and subtropical South America.

Text adapted from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

Easily confused with

Cinereous Tinamou (Crypturellus cinereus) Cinereous TinamouCrypturellus cinereusThe cinereous tinamou is a shy and secretive bird. Thicket Tinamou (Crypturellus cinnamomeus) Thicket TinamouCrypturellus cinnamomeusThe thicket tinamou is 27 to 29 cm (11–11 in) in length and weighs 440 g (16 oz). Tataupa Tinamou (Crypturellus tataupa) Tataupa TinamouCrypturellus tataupaThe tataupa tinamou is approximately 25 cm (9.8 in) in length.

Side by side: Brown Tinamou vs Little Tinamou · Brown Tinamou vs Undulated Tinamou · Brown Tinamou vs Cinereous Tinamou · Brown Tinamou vs Thicket Tinamou · Brown Tinamou vs Tataupa Tinamou

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