Ornate Tinamou vs Dwarf Tinamou
Nothoprocta ornata compared with Taoniscus nanus
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Attribute | Ornate Tinamou | Dwarf Tinamou |
|---|---|---|
| Scientific Name | Nothoprocta ornata | Taoniscus nanus |
| Order | Tinamiformes | Tinamiformes |
| Family | Tinamidae | Tinamidae |
| Conservation Status | Least Concern | Endangered |
| Length | — | — |
| Wingspan | 37.1 cm (14.6 in) | 15.3 cm (6.0 in) |
| Weight | 624.5 g (22.03 oz) | 43.0 g (1.52 oz) |
| Diet | Herbivorous, grazing grasses and sedges near water; dabbles for aquatic invertebrates during breeding; forms large … | Eats grasses and agricultural grain; migratory; grazes pastures and stubble fields in winter across Europe … |
| Clutch Size | 4-9 | 3 |
| Population Trend | — | — |
Habitat Comparison
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.
Dwarf Tinamou
Intact campo sujo and campo limpo grasslands of the cerrado in central Brazil. Extremely sensitive to burning, grazing, and conversion of native grasslands. One of the world's most poorly known birds.
Song & Call Comparison
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.
Dwarf Tinamou
Poorly documented; the Dwarf Tinamou is an endangered cerrado endemic whose call is a thin, very high-pitched whistle. Rarely recorded; secretive in tall grass.
Geographic Range & Migration
Ornate Tinamou
Ranges along Pacific slopes of the Andes from Ecuador to central Chile. Sedentary in arid and semi-arid foothill scrub.
Dwarf Tinamou
Found in the coastal Humboldt Current region of Peru and Chile. Largely sedentary; range closely tied to cold upwelling waters.
Conservation Status
Ornate Tinamou
Dwarf Tinamou
How to Tell Them Apart
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.
Dwarf Tinamou
Minute; brown-gray upperparts with buff and blackish barring. Crown dark brown with pale center. Throat pale; breast buff with brown spots. Belly whitish. Smallest tinamou; critically threatened cerrado species.
About These Birds
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.
Dwarf Tinamou
The smallest tinamou in the world, weighing only 40–50 g, with brown-streaked plumage and a very short bill. Critically Endangered and poorly known; restricted to intact cerrado grasslands of central Brazil. Considered one of South America's rarest and most enigmatic birds.