Undulated tinamou
Undulated tinamou (Crypturellus undulatus) is a ground-dwelling bird found in wooded habitats across eastern and northern South America. It is about 28–30 cm long and weighs around 300 g. Its plumage ranges from brownish gray to darker tones, with a strong, vermiculated pattern on the back and neck; it has a white throat and olive-gray to buff underparts with dark markings on the lower sides. The bill is black on top and gray below; legs are gray, dull yellow, or greenish.
Subspecies include C. u. undulatus, C. u. adspersus, C. u. vermiculatus, C. u. yapura, C. u. simplex, and C. u. manapiare, with slight variations in coloration.
Taxonomy: It belongs to Tinamidae, a family of tinamous. Tinamous are ratites, relatives of cassowaries, emus, kiwis, ostriches, and rheas, but tinamous can fly weakly.
Habitat: It lives in a wide range of wooded areas, from humid Amazonian forests to dry savanna-woodland, up to about 900 m in altitude.
Behavior: It is secretive and more often heard than seen. Diet includes small fruits, seeds, and insects. The nest is a shallow depression on the ground where the female lays about three glossy eggs. Incubation is about 17 days in captivity; natural timing varies.
Song: A deep, three- to four-note whistle heard throughout the day, sometimes described as “buy bread” in Spanish or “eu sou jaó” in Portuguese.
Status: It is generally common, though hunted in some areas. With a wide range of about 8.6 million square kilometers, the IUCN lists it as Least Concern.
This page was last edited on 3 February 2026, at 14:05 (CET).