Small-billed Tinamou

About

A small tinamou with brown plumage, pale underparts, and a notably short fine bill. Widespread in cerrado, savanna woodlands, and forest edges of central South America. Often calls from dense grass or low scrub. One of the few tinamous adapted to open and semi-open habitats.

Physical Description

Measurement	Value	Imperial
Wingspan	22.2 cm	8.7 in
Weight	193.0 g	6.81 oz

Identification

Plumage

Small and compact with brown upperparts finely barred dark; crown dark brown. Throat pale; breast rufous-buff. Belly whitish. Disproportionately small bill. Reddish legs. Sexes similar.

Habitat & Range

Cerrado woodland, savanna grassland, gallery forest edges, and campo sujo in central Brazil, Bolivia, and Paraguay. Tolerates degraded habitats and cultivated areas. Most common in open and transitional zones.

🌲 Forest 🌾 Grassland

Geographic Range

Found in forests and forest margins from southern Mexico to Brazil and Bolivia. Sedentary in warm lowland and foothill habitats.

Diet & Feeding

Plucks grasses, aquatic plants, and seeds from wetland margins in South America; large body requires high plant-matter intake.

Conservation Status

Least Concern

IUCN Red List

Behavior & Breeding

Nesting

Incubation: 19-21 days.

Clutch Size

2-5

Sound

Song

A high-pitched whistle with minimal variation. Among the smaller tinamous; call reflects its tiny size with a thinner tone. Found in open Cerrado grassland-forest edge.

Taxonomy

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

Distribution

Small-billed Tinamou has been recorded in 1 countries.

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Present Not recorded

countries highlighted

🇳🇴 Norway

External Databases

Frequently Asked Questions

What does the Small-billed Tinamou eat?

Plucks grasses, aquatic plants, and seeds from wetland margins in South America; large body requires high plant-matter intake.

Where does the Small-billed Tinamou live?

Cerrado woodland, savanna grassland, gallery forest edges, and campo sujo in central Brazil, Bolivia, and Paraguay. Tolerates degraded habitats and cultivated areas. Most common in open and transitional zones.

Is the Small-billed Tinamou endangered?

The Small-billed Tinamou has a conservation status of Least Concern.

How does the Small-billed Tinamou nest?

Incubation: 19-21 days.

What does the Small-billed Tinamou sound like?

A high-pitched whistle with minimal variation. Among the smaller tinamous; call reflects its tiny size with a thinner tone. Found in open Cerrado grassland-forest edge.

How big is the Small-billed Tinamou?

The Small-billed Tinamou has a wingspan of 22.2 cm, weight of 193.0 g.

What order and family does the Small-billed Tinamou belong to?

The Small-billed Tinamou (Crypturellus parvirostris) belongs to the order Tinamiformes and the family Tinamidae.