Slaty-breasted Tinamou

Overview

The slaty-breasted tinamou, also known as Boucard's tinamou, is a species of tinamou found in lowland moist forests across Mexico and Central America. It is currently classified as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List due to a rapidly declining population caused by overhunting and habitat destruction.

Identification

• Length approximately 27 cm with a weight of about 470 g.
• Plumage features a black to chestnut back and head, brown wings, slaty grey breast, white throat, and grey-brown underparts with darker barring on the flanks and undertail.
• Females exhibit barring on the wings, whereas males do not.
• Legs are pink to bright red, and the bill is dark above and yellow below.

Habitat

This species prefers thick evergreen forests with dense undergrowth, but also inhabits thick forests with little undergrowth, secondary forests, and regenerating plantations in moist areas. Its range extends from southern Veracruz and northern Oaxaca in Mexico through Belize, Guatemala, Honduras, and Nicaragua to northern Costa Rica, typically at altitudes up to 700 m.

Diet

Feeding on fruit, seeds, and invertebrates, specifically ants and termites, like other tinamous. The text does not describe specific foraging techniques, only the types of food consumed.

Did you know?

Males are the sole incubators and raisers of the young, attracting two to four females to lay in a ground nest located in thick vegetation or between raised tree roots. The calls of this bird can continue in long bouts lasting up to five hours at a time.