Overview
This species has a partridge build. Built to be a ground dweller capable of short bursts of flight. Shades of light brown breast meet darker brown through the wings. Wings are accented by red wingtips.
Taxonomy
- Kingdom
- Animalia
- Phylum
- Chordata
- Class
- Bird
- Family
- Tinamidae
- Genus
- Nothoprocta
- Species
- ornata
Habitat
The ornate tinamou lives in high-altitude grassland. They also live in shrubland, both high and low elevation, and they are showing some success of living on farmland. They prefer elevations of 3,450 to 4,700 m (11,320–15,420 ft).
Diet
Like other tinamous, the ornate tinamou eats fruit off the ground or low-lying bushes. They also eat small amounts of invertebrates, flower buds, tender leaves, seeds, and roots.
Behavior
The male incubates the eggs which may come from as many as 4 different females, and then will raise them until they are ready to be on their own, usually 2–3 weeks. The nest is located on the ground in dense brush or between raised root buttresses.
Hunting
Hunted in heavy cover, typically with pointing dogs. Birds are flushed and taken with shotguns. A 20ga with 6 shot will be sufficient.
Conservation Status
Listed as Least Concern by IUCN.