Slaty-breasted tinamou

Crypturellus boucardi

Photo by Brad Weinert (Flickr)

Common name:
slaty-breasted tinamou (en); inhambu-de-Boucard (pt); tinamou de Boucard (fr); tinamú pizarroso (es); graukehltinamu (de)

Taxonomy:
Order Tinamiformes
Family Tinamidae

Range:
This species is found from southern Mexico to Costa Rica.

Size:
These birds are 27-28 cm long and weigh 470 g.

Habitat:
The slaty-breasted tinamou is mostly found in tall rainforests with a high canopy, occasionaly also using degraded parches of former forests. They are present from sea level up to an altitude of 1.800 m.


Diet:
They forage on the ground, taking fruits and seeds, as well as insects such as ants and termites. Occasionally, frogs and lizards are also consumed.


Breeding:
Slaty-breasted tinamous breed in January-April. They are polygynandrous, with males mating with 2-4 females, which afterwards go on to mate with other males. Each female lays 2-3 eggs on the ground, among thick vegetation or near the base of a tree, with different females using the same nest, which can hold up to 12 eggs. The male incubates the eggs alone for 16 days. The chicks leave the nest soon after hatching and follow the male around until they become independent 18-20 days after hatching.

Conservation:
IUCN status - LC (Least Concern)
This species has a large breeding range and a global population estimated at 20.000-50.000 individuals. The population is suspected to be in decline owing to ongoing habitat destruction caused by logging and plantation cutting, as well as hunting. However, the slaty-breasted tinamou is not considered threatened at present.