Bird · GBIF taxon 2477630
Great Tinamou
Tinamus majorAlso known as Greater Tinamou
These plump, ground-dwelling birds are famous for their haunting, flute-like whistles that echo through the rainforest understory at dusk and dawn. They spend their days walking slowly through leaf litter, relying on their mottled olive-brown plumage to blend seamlessly into the shadows. When startled, they burst into a sudden, explosive flight with loud wing-clapping, only to glide back down to the forest floor a short distance away.
Ground-dwellingSecretiveVocalist
—observations
—countries
—peak records
Near ThreatenedConservation statusIUCN Red List categoriesLCNTVUENCREWEXNear ThreatenedRed List categories, explained →
Diet & prey
- Fallen berries
- Beetles
- Ants
Predators
- Jaguars
- Ocelots
- Forest falcons
ThreatsHabitat fragmentation, deforestation, and subsistence hunting
HabitatsPrimary tropical rainforests and mature secondary forests
Life span10 to 15 years
Size / weightNot available
Classification
- FamilyTinamidae
- SpeciesTinamus major
Range data is not available yet.
Interaction riskLow
- Low
- Moderate
- High
- Very high
- Why interaction risk is low
- Safe to observe at a normal distance.
Responsible observation
- Listen closely: Their distinctive, melancholic whistling calls are easiest to hear at dawn and dusk.
- Scan the floor: Look for movement in deep leaf litter rather than scanning the tree canopy.
- Keep quiet: They are highly sensitive to noise and will slip away silently if they detect footsteps.
Predator Giles Laurent / CC BY-SA 4.0 · cc-by-sa
Predator (c) Christoph Moning, some rights reserved (CC BY), uploaded by Christoph Moning · cc-by
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