Birds · Tinamiformes · Tinamidae

Great Tinamou

Tinamus major

Near Threatened

It could become endangered in the near future if current threats go unchecked. See full glossary

The great tinamou, known in Spanish as tinamú grande, tinamú mayor or tinamú oliváceo, is a species of bird native to Central and South America, the tinamous comprise approximately 47 species of the family Tinamidae. It is 43 centimetres long, weighs 1,100 grams and is roughly the size and shape of a small turkey. It is grey-brown in colour and well camouflaged for the rainforest.

Weight

960 g – 1.1 kg

Size

41 cm – 49 cm

Lifespan

12 years

Diet

Omnivore

Combines animal and plant food depending on availability.

Activity

Diurnal

Active mainly during the day.

Social structure

Solitary

Lives and hunts alone, joining others only to breed.

Sighting difficulty

Moderate

RainforestOmnivore Diurnal Solitary Near Threatened Bird Rainforest

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Fun facts

Its eggs are a bright metallic turquoise blue, so polished that they look like glazed porcelain: they are among the most striking eggs in the animal kingdom and their colour still has no clear explanation.
The male incubates the eggs of several different females in the same nest and raises the chicks alone, while the females mate with other males.
Its fluting call at dusk is one of the most evocative sounds of the American rainforest, and is used as an indicator of well-preserved forest because the species disappears from hunted areas.

Life cycle & biology

Skeleton type: Vertebrate - internal bony skeleton (bird)
Habitat & environment: Floor of primary rainforest and mature secondary forest of tropical America
Sexual maturity: 12 months
Gestation / incubation: 19 days of incubation
Litter / clutch size: 6 eggs

Sources consulted: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_tinamou