Cinereous Tinamou

About

A plain uniformly grey-brown tinamou with barred wings and a pale throat. Widespread in lowland Amazonian and Orinoco basin forests. Often detected by its loud two-note whistle. Males alone incubate the glossy teal-colored eggs. Feeds on fallen fruits, seeds, and invertebrates.

Physical Description

Measurement	Value	Imperial
Wingspan	32.5 cm	12.8 in
Weight	502.25 g	17.72 oz

Identification

Plumage

Uniform slate-gray upperparts; head, neck and breast also gray. Belly paler grayish-white. Lacks strong barring. Bill and legs dark gray. Sexes similar; cinereous refers to its ashy coloration.

Habitat & Range

Lowland humid forest and forest edges in the Amazon and Orinoco basins from Venezuela and Colombia to Bolivia and central Brazil. Prefers dense understorey near water. Tolerates some secondary growth.

🌲 Forest

Geographic Range

Ranges through forests of Chile and adjacent western Argentina. Sedentary in temperate Valdivian forests from sea level to 1,500 m.

Diet & Feeding

Feeds on seeds, berries, and insects in Neotropical forests; scratches leaf litter to expose invertebrates; mostly frugivorous in wet season.

Conservation Status

Least Concern

IUCN Red List

Behavior & Breeding

Nesting

Nest type: NO.

Clutch Size

2

Sound

Song

A monotonous, deep whistle repeated at regular slow intervals. The call is a single, resonant 'whoooo' given from forest floor cover. Typical of lowland humid forest.

Taxonomy

Kingdom	Animalia
Phylum	Chordata
Class	Aves
Order	Tinamiformes (Tinamous)
Family	Tinamidae (Tinamous)
Genus	Crypturellus
Species	Crypturellus cinereus

Distribution

Cinereous Tinamou has been recorded in 4 countries.

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Present Not recorded

countries highlighted

🇨🇴 Colombia 🇪🇨 Ecuador 🇳🇴 Norway 🇻🇪 Venezuela

External Databases

Frequently Asked Questions

What does the Cinereous Tinamou eat?

Feeds on seeds, berries, and insects in Neotropical forests; scratches leaf litter to expose invertebrates; mostly frugivorous in wet season.

Where does the Cinereous Tinamou live?

Lowland humid forest and forest edges in the Amazon and Orinoco basins from Venezuela and Colombia to Bolivia and central Brazil. Prefers dense understorey near water. Tolerates some secondary growth.

Is the Cinereous Tinamou endangered?

The Cinereous Tinamou has a conservation status of Least Concern.

How does the Cinereous Tinamou nest?

Nest type: NO.

What does the Cinereous Tinamou sound like?

A monotonous, deep whistle repeated at regular slow intervals. The call is a single, resonant 'whoooo' given from forest floor cover. Typical of lowland humid forest.

How big is the Cinereous Tinamou?

The Cinereous Tinamou has a wingspan of 32.5 cm, weight of 502.25 g.

What order and family does the Cinereous Tinamou belong to?

The Cinereous Tinamou (Crypturellus cinereus) belongs to the order Tinamiformes and the family Tinamidae.