Ornate Tinamou vs Black Tinamou
Nothoprocta ornata compared with Tinamus osgoodi
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Attribute | Ornate Tinamou | Black Tinamou |
|---|---|---|
| Scientific Name | Nothoprocta ornata | Tinamus osgoodi |
| Order | Tinamiformes | Tinamiformes |
| Family | Tinamidae | Tinamidae |
| Conservation Status | Least Concern | Vulnerable |
| Length | — | — |
| Wingspan | 37.1 cm (14.6 in) | 46.4 cm (18.3 in) |
| Weight | 624.5 g (22.03 oz) | 1392.5 g (49.12 oz) |
| Diet | Herbivorous, grazing grasses and sedges near water; dabbles for aquatic invertebrates during breeding; forms large … | Forages forest floors for fallen seeds, fruits, tubers, and beetles; solitary and cryptic; diet varies … |
| Clutch Size | 4-9 | 2 |
| 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.
Black Tinamou
Humid cloud forest at 1,000–1,800 m in the Andes of southwestern Colombia and northern Peru. Favors steep terrain with dense undergrowth and mossy forest floor. Extremely range-restricted and rarely observed.
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.
Black Tinamou
A deep, resonant, single-note whistle with a sad, hollow quality. Poorly documented due to its remote Peruvian cloud forest habitat. Calls infrequently compared to other large tinamous.
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.
Black Tinamou
Inhabits tropical and subtropical forests from southern Mexico to Bolivia and central Brazil. Largely sedentary across its wide range.
Conservation Status
Ornate Tinamou
Black 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.
Black Tinamou
Strikingly dark; upperparts blackish-brown with very fine pale vermiculations. Underparts dark slate-gray, barely paler than back. Throat pale. Legs and bill dark gray. Sexes similar.
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.
Black Tinamou
A large darkly colored tinamou with blackish-brown plumage and pale spotting on the wings. One of the least-known tinamou species, inhabiting cloud forests in Colombia and Peru. Terrestrial and secretive; rarely observed. Known primarily from specimens and occasional recordings.