Tinamus tao
Silhouette: George Edward Lodge · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~50% in a week ~80%
The grey tinamou (Tinamus tao) is a type of ground bird native to South America. Four subspecies are recognised. All tinamou are from the family Tinamidae, and in the larger scheme are also ratites. All ratites evolved from prehistoric flying birds, and tinamous are the closest living relative of these birds.
The grey tinamou has several subspecies: T. t. larensis with a range in the montane forests of central Colombia and northwestern Venezuela. T. t. kleei with a range of south-central Colombia, eastern Ecuador, eastern Peru, eastern Bolivia, and western Brazil.
T. t. septentrionalis with a range of northeastern Venezuela and possibly northwestern Guyana. T. t. tao with a range of north central Brazil, far eastern Peru, and far northwestern Bolivia. The gray tinamou is believed to be the largest species among the tinamous. Reported total length
is from 41.5 to 49 cm (16.3 to 19.3 in) and possibly as much as 53 cm (21 in). In body mass, males may scale from 1,325 to 1,863 g (2.921 to 4.107 lb), averaging 1,565 g (3.450 lb), and females can weigh from 1,430 to 2,080 g (3.15 to 4.59 lb), averaging 1,636 g (3.607 lb) and possibly weighing as much as... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Podocarpus National Park | 🇪🇨 Ecuador | |
| 2 | Amboró National Park | 🇧🇴 Bolivia | |
| 3 | Sierra de la Macarena National Park | 🇨🇴 Colombia | |
| 4 | Manu National Park | 🇵🇪 Peru | |
| 5 | Henri Pittier National Park | 🇻🇪 Venezuela | |
| 6 | Tambopata National Reserve | 🇵🇪 Peru |
Possible
About 20% of wildlife watchers report a Grey Tinamou sighting in Amboró National Park on a given day, based on 93 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 68th most-seen of the 273 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 50%, and over a week to about 80%, if each day is a fresh chance.
September and November
In those months about 30% of wildlife watchers report a Grey Tinamou in Amboró National Park on a given day, against under 5% in July, the lowest month. June has too few records to rate.
Between 3 and 6 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Grey Tinamou sightings with a recorded time, and about 7 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
Among the best
Of the 6 parks where we can rate Grey Tinamou sightings, Amboró National Park ranks 2nd at about 20%, level with the leaders once rounded. The best odds are in Podocarpus National Park (Ecuador, about 20%).
Same family: Tinamidae
The closest relatives of the Grey Tinamou that you can see in Amboró National Park (family Tinamidae, Tinamous) are Brown Tinamou (about 50%), Tataupá Tinamou (about 10%) and Black-capped Tinamou (about 10%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Grey Tinamou is recorded against all the birds logged in Amboró National Park (93 verified sightings from 2019 to 2026), calibrated against known sighting rates. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10% because citizen-science data supports honest approximations, not decimals, and months with records from fewer than five people show "—". How it works.
