Lesser Nothura vs Great Tinamou
Nothura minor compared with Tinamus major
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Attribute | Lesser Nothura | Great Tinamou |
|---|---|---|
| Scientific Name | Nothura minor | Tinamus major |
| Order | Tinamiformes | Tinamiformes |
| Family | Tinamidae | Tinamidae |
| Conservation Status | Vulnerable | Least Concern |
| Length | — | — |
| Wingspan | 22.0 cm (8.7 in) | 48.2 cm (19.0 in) |
| Weight | 163.33333333333334 g (5.76 oz) | 1006.75 g (35.51 oz) |
| Diet | Eats grasses, seeds, and aquatic plants; migratory; supplements diet with invertebrates in breeding season across … | Ground-forager eating seeds, fallen fruits, and small invertebrates in Chilean matorral scrub; pecks and scratches … |
| Clutch Size | 2-4 | 3-6 |
| Population Trend | — | — |
Habitat Comparison
Lesser Nothura
Native campo sujo and campo limpo grasslands of the cerrado biome in central Brazil. Highly dependent on intact native grassland with bunchgrass structure; very sensitive to exotic grass invasion and burning.
Great Tinamou
Humid lowland and foothill tropical rainforest from southern Mexico through Central America to Bolivia and southeastern Brazil. Prefers undisturbed forest interior with dense understorey. Nests on the ground.
Song & Call Comparison
Lesser Nothura
A thin, high whistle, poorly documented due to its vulnerable status and restricted campos habitat in interior Brazil. Rarely recorded; calls are considered similar to Spotted Nothura.
Great Tinamou
A beautiful, pure whistled phrase repeated at regular intervals from the forest floor. Call is a clear 'wheeeoo-wheeeoo'. Among the most musical tinamou calls in its range.
Geographic Range & Migration
Lesser Nothura
Found in open grassy habitats of central South America from Bolivia and Brazil to Argentina. Sedentary; forages in short grassland.
Great Tinamou
Found in open habitats from Venezuela and Guianas through Bolivia to northeastern Argentina. Sedentary in dry savannas and grasslands.
Conservation Status
Lesser Nothura
Great Tinamou
How to Tell Them Apart
Lesser Nothura
Tiny cerrado tinamou; brown upperparts with fine buff and black streaking. Pale supercilium. Throat and breast buff-white spotted brown. Belly whitish. Smallest Nothura; threatened grassland specialist.
Great Tinamou
Olive-brown to grayish-brown upperparts with black vermiculations and barring. Crown darker brownish; throat whitish. Breast grayish-brown; belly pale buff. Flanks barred with dark brown.
About These Birds
Lesser Nothura
A very small tinamou with finely streaked brown plumage and whitish underparts. One of the smallest tinamous. Restricted to the cerrado campos and grasslands of central Brazil. Critically Endangered due to loss of native cerrado. Calls with a thin high-pitched whistle.
Great Tinamou
The largest regularly occurring tinamou, with brownish-grey plumage, barred wings, and a pale belly. Common in lowland Neotropical rainforest from Mexico to Bolivia. Males incubate glossy teal-colored eggs. Their haunting multi-note calls resonate through the forest, making them acoustically conspicuous yet visually elusive.