Lesser Nothura vs Solitary Tinamou
Nothura minor compared with Tinamus solitarius
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Attribute | Lesser Nothura | Solitary Tinamou |
|---|---|---|
| Scientific Name | Nothura minor | Tinamus solitarius |
| Order | Tinamiformes | Tinamiformes |
| Family | Tinamidae | Tinamidae |
| Conservation Status | Vulnerable | Near Threatened |
| Length | — | — |
| Wingspan | 22.0 cm (8.7 in) | 52.3 cm (20.6 in) |
| Weight | 163.33333333333334 g (5.76 oz) | 1428.5 g (50.39 oz) |
| Diet | Eats grasses, seeds, and aquatic plants; migratory; supplements diet with invertebrates in breeding season across … | Omnivorous ground-forager in Patagonian steppes; eats seeds, berries, shoots, and insects; diet shifts toward seeds … |
| Clutch Size | 2-4 | 6-7 |
| 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.
Solitary Tinamou
Dense Atlantic Forest of eastern Brazil from Bahia south to Rio Grande do Sul, into northeastern Argentina and Paraguay. Prefers humid lowland and foothill forest with closed canopy and thick undergrowth. Below 900 m.
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.
Solitary Tinamou
Delivers a pure, mournful flute-like whistle repeated slowly. The call is a single clear 'whooo' rising then falling, given from dense understory. Less frequently heard than other tinamous.
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.
Solitary Tinamou
Restricted to Paraguay, southern Bolivia, and northern Argentina. Sedentary in dry Chaco woodlands and open grasslands year-round.
Conservation Status
Lesser Nothura
Solitary 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.
Solitary Tinamou
Rich dark brown upperparts heavily barred and vermiculated with black. Crown dark; throat whitish. Breast rufous-brown; belly pale buff. Flanks broadly barred dark brown. Sexes similar.
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.
Solitary Tinamou
A large heavily built tinamou with dark olive-brown upperparts, pale underparts, and distinctive dark barring. Lives singly in dense Atlantic Forest, rarely seen despite its loud melancholic calls. Feeds on fallen fruit, seeds, and invertebrates. Threatened by deforestation across eastern Brazil.