Cinereous Tinamou vs Ornate Tinamou
Crypturellus cinereus compared with Nothoprocta ornata
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Attribute | Cinereous Tinamou | Ornate Tinamou |
|---|---|---|
| Scientific Name | Crypturellus cinereus | Nothoprocta ornata |
| Order | Tinamiformes | Tinamiformes |
| Family | Tinamidae | Tinamidae |
| Conservation Status | Least Concern | Least Concern |
| Length | — | — |
| Wingspan | 32.5 cm (12.8 in) | 37.1 cm (14.6 in) |
| Weight | 502.25 g (17.72 oz) | 624.5 g (22.03 oz) |
| Diet | Feeds on seeds, berries, and insects in Neotropical forests; scratches leaf litter to expose invertebrates; … | Herbivorous, grazing grasses and sedges near water; dabbles for aquatic invertebrates during breeding; forms large … |
| Clutch Size | 2 | 4-9 |
| Population Trend | — | — |
Habitat Comparison
Cinereous Tinamou
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.
Ornate Tinamou
High puna grassland, rocky outcrops, and shrubby slopes at 3,000–4,800 m in the Andes from Peru through Bolivia to northwestern Argentina and Chile. Often near rocky gullies and streams.
Song & Call Comparison
Cinereous Tinamou
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.
Ornate Tinamou
A musical, clear whistle from Andean puna and bofedales. Call is a repeated 2-note phrase. Considered one of the more melodic high-elevation tinamous in the genus.
Geographic Range & Migration
Cinereous Tinamou
Ranges through forests of Chile and adjacent western Argentina. Sedentary in temperate Valdivian forests from sea level to 1,500 m.
Ornate Tinamou
Ranges along Pacific slopes of the Andes from Ecuador to central Chile. Sedentary in arid and semi-arid foothill scrub.
Conservation Status
Cinereous Tinamou
Ornate Tinamou
How to Tell Them Apart
Cinereous Tinamou
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.
Ornate Tinamou
Intricately patterned; upperparts grayish-brown with black streaks and whitish shaft streaks. Bold pale supercilium. Breast spotted and streaked on pale buff. Belly whitish. Striking Andean species.
About These Birds
Cinereous Tinamou
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.
Ornate Tinamou
A striking medium-sized tinamou with intricately patterned brown, black, and white plumage—one of the most ornately marked tinamou species. Found in Andean puna from Peru to Argentina. Terrestrial and gregarious, often found in small flocks. Calls with a clear fluted whistle.