Bird Album
Great Tinamou
Tinamus major (Gmelin, JF, 1789)
38–46 cmLength1 kgWeight
The great tinamou (Tinamus major) is a species of tinamou ground bird native to Central and South America.
Busiest months: March · Most records: Costa Rica, Panama, Belize
Where and when it's recorded
Great Tinamou has been recorded at 329 of the 8,171 birding hotspots we track, in 16 countries and regions.
Records by month Northern Hemisphere
Where it's recorded most
- Estación Biológica La Selva-OTSCosta Rica7,512 records
- PN Carara-Entrada principal [senderos Quebrada Bonita y Universal]Costa Rica3,161 records
- Canopy TowerPanama3,056 records
More places
- Pipeline Road (Camino del Oleoducto)Panama1,819 records
- PN Corcovado – Sector SirenaCosta Rica1,508 records
- Panama Rainforest Discovery CenterPanama1,427 records
- Black Rock LodgeBelize1,316 records
- Esquinas Rainforest LodgeCosta Rica1,159 records
- Pipeline Road – Parque Nacional SoberaníaPanama1,150 records
- RN San Cipriano-EscalereteColombia950 records
Countries and regions with the most records
eBird records via GBIF up to 2024-12-31. A record means someone listed it; more records partly mean more birders, not more birds.
About
The great tinamou (Tinamus major) is a species of tinamou ground bird native to Central and South America. There are several subspecies, mostly differentiated by their coloration.
Excerpt from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0 · authors · Read more on Wikipedia
Questions
How big is the Great Tinamou?
The Great Tinamou is about 38–46 cm long and weighs around 1 kg.
Where does the Great Tinamou live?
Its breeding range: Middle America, South America: southern Mexico through Amazonia. It is most often recorded in Costa Rica, Panama and Belize.
When is the best time to see the Great Tinamou?
At the hotspots we track, it is recorded most in March (Northern Hemisphere).
Is the Great Tinamou endangered?
The IUCN Red List classifies the Great Tinamou as Least Concern.
What does the Great Tinamou eat?
Main food: Omnivore.
What family is the Great Tinamou in?
It belongs to the family Tinamous (Tinamidae), order Tinamiformes.
At a glance
- Length
- 38–46 cm
- Weight
- 1 kg
- Habitat
- Forest
- Diet
- Omnivore
- Lifestyle
- Active on the ground
- Migration
- Resident (barely migrates)
- Conservation
- Least Concern
More measurements
- Wing
- 241 mm
- Tail
- 83 mm
- Bill
- 38 mm
- Tarsus
- 64 mm
Averages from the AVONET dataset; length from field guides where available.
Range
Middle America, South America: southern Mexico through Amazonia
Breeding range, IOC World Bird List 15.2
Classification
- Order
- Tinamiformes
- Family
- Tinamous Tinamidae
- Genus
- Tinamus
Other birds in the genus Tinamus
Grey TinamouTinamus tao
Solitary TinamouTinamus solitarius
Black TinamouTinamus osgoodi
White-throated TinamouTinamus guttatus
Highland TinamouNothocercus bonapartei
Tawny-breasted TinamouNothocercus julius
Hooded TinamouNothocercus nigrocapillus
Berlepsch's TinamouCrypturellus berlepschi
Cinereous TinamouCrypturellus cinereus
Little TinamouCrypturellus soui
Download illustration
Free to use with credit: “Illustration: Bird Album (birdalbum.com)”. Drawn by AI from a reference photo by avocat. ↗
Heard it but can't see it? Mingji identifies birds by sound and photo, on your phone.