Photo: Patrick Coin (Patrick Coin) / CC BY-SA 2.5 (Wikimedia Commons)
Great Tinamou
Tinamus major
Great Tinamou (Tinamus major) — Ratites & Tinamous of Central America & Caribbean.
Found across 6 guides in our atlas — open any for the full checklist, photos and what's around right now.
The Great Tinamou (Tinamus major) is a member of the Tinamidae family found in Central America & Caribbean and South America. Adults weigh 1 kg. The IUCN Red List lists it as Least Concern.
Conservation status
IUCN Red List (opens in a new tab)Widespread and abundant — not currently at risk.
Where it fits
- Class Aves
- Order Tinamiformes
- Family Tinamidae Tinamous
- Genus Tinamus
- Species major
Quick facts
- Weight
- 1 kg
- Diet
- Omnivores
- Family
- Tinamidae
- Order
- Tinamiformes
- Habitat
- Woodland
How to identify
Similar birds
Vulnerable
Least Concern
Near Threatened
Least Concern
Biology & behaviour
Diet
The Great Tinamou is a omnivore — it takes a broad, omnivorous diet of both plant and animal foods.
Behaviour
A bird of dense forest, it forages mainly on the ground.
Migration
The Great Tinamou is largely sedentary, staying within its range year-round rather than making regular long-distance migrations.
The Great Tinamou (Tinamus major) is a member of the Tinamidae family, within the order Tinamiformes. Its range spans Central America & Caribbean and South America. Its distribution covers MA, SA s Mexico through Amazonia.
It is a very large bird. Adults weighs around 1 kg, with a wing length of about 24.1 cm and a tail of around 8.3 cm.
The IUCN Red List currently assesses it as Least Concern. That category covers species that remain widespread and reasonably abundant in the wild.
The species has a mapped global range of roughly 7.7 million km².
Songs & calls
Frequently asked questions
How big is the Great Tinamou?
The Great Tinamou is a very large bird that weighs around 1 kg.
Where does the Great Tinamou live?
The Great Tinamou is found across Central America & Caribbean and South America with a range covering MA, SA s Mexico through Amazonia, where it favours woodland, forest and well-treed country.
What family does the Great Tinamou belong to?
The Great Tinamou (Tinamus major) belongs to the Tinamidae family, in the order Tinamiformes.
What does the Great Tinamou eat?
The Great Tinamou is a omnivore — it takes a broad, omnivorous diet of both plant and animal foods.
Does the Great Tinamou migrate?
The Great Tinamou is largely sedentary, staying within its range year-round rather than making regular long-distance migrations.
Is the Great Tinamou endangered?
The IUCN Red List currently assesses it as Least Concern That category covers species that remain widespread and reasonably abundant in the wild.
What sound does the Great Tinamou make?
4 real field recordings of the Great Tinamou — including its song and call — can be played in the Songs & calls section on this page, each credited to the recordist who captured it.
How large is the Great Tinamou's range?
The Great Tinamou has a mapped global range of about 7.7 million km².
Conservation
Every bird benefits from bird-safe windows, native plants, and keeping cats indoors. Small changes at home add up to real protection.
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