Overview
The upper parts are brown with streaked buff. The under parts are buff streaked with black and brown on the breast, with barring to the flanks. Its crown is black streaked with buff and the throat is white. The overall hue in colour varies greatly over its range; in part caused by the differences in soil at the specific localities. It and the closely related Chaco nothura, N. chacoensis, are the only nothuras with barring to both webs of the primaries. The legs are dull yellowish-grey or brown.
Taxonomy
- Kingdom
- Animalia
- Phylum
- Chordata
- Class
- Bird
- Family
- Tinamidae
- Genus
- Nothura
- Species
- maculosa
Habitat
It lives in dry savanna habitat up to 2,300 m (7,500 ft), and temperate grassland, as well as pasture land.
Diet
The diet, during the winter, consists mainly of seeds, leaves, fruit and insects, but in the summer it eats mainly insects.
Behavior
The call of the spotted nothura is a series of brief high-pitched notes.
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.